Folic Acid Reduces Risk of Delivering Premature Baby June 4, 2009

A new study reports that a woman is 50 percent less likely to have a premature baby if they take folic acid for at least a year before conception.

The study’s conclusion is important for two reasons. First, folic acid benefits women of all ages, races and additional health factors. Second, premature birth is a substantial risk factor for birth injuries and complications like cerebral palsy, blindness, mental retardation and chronic lung disease.

Reducing these devastating injuries will not only reduce human disability but also the economic costs of caring for the disabled.

This recent study supports what doctors have been telling women for years – that they should injest 400 micrograms of folic acid every day if they are able to become pregnant. Doctors have known for quite a while that increased folic acid intake before pregnancy and during the first trimester can substantially reduce the risk of serious birth defects of the brain and spinal cord.

The study, published in the journal PLOS Medicine looked at 38,033 participants.