Ladies: Take Your Folates

Being a healthy, young woman means no smoking; sound diet; getting exercise; and – taking in folates. This is Dr. Steven Andrew Davis, Speaking of Health. Of course, there are many helpful vitamins and minerals and anti-oxidants young women can take, but one, in particular relates to a potential they have that young men don’t: they can have children. And children can have birth defects. And women who start taking daily folic acid supplements at least 3 months before conceiving can reduce the risk for certain types of birth defects.

The birth defects of not are called neural tube defects, and they can be fatal to the fetus or baby. Folic acid supplements are well-documented to reduce that risk and yet one recent study showed that women of child-bearing age may not be paying attention. In a study published in the journal, Obstetrics & Gynecology, research teams at four Arkansas clinics asked over 300 gynecology patients about supplement use. Well over half of the women knew that folic acid supplements could help prevent birth defects, but, overall, fewer than one-fourth of child-bearing age women – in this study – were taking daily folic acid supplements.

A not-so-surprising trend was associated with taking folic acid supplements. They were more often taken by women who had higher formal educational levels, higher incomes, husbands, and a greater tendency to follow physicians’ advice. For a copy of this script and journal reference, access our web site, speakingofhealth.com. Speaking of Health, I’m Dr. Steven Andrew Davis, for CBS News Radio.

Ref: Cleves, MA et al. Folic acid use by women receiving routine gynecologic care.

Obstet Gynecol 2004 Apt: 103:746-53. Abstracted in Journal Watch. June 2004