World Birth Defects Day: folic acid decreases probability of defects by 50-70%

Taking folic acid before and during pregnancy decreases the probability of birth defects by 50 to 70 per cent, the Health Information and Research directorate said this morning. In a statement issued on the occasion of World Birth Defects Day, aimed to increase awareness and countries' commitment to improve knowledge, prevention and management of these conditions and to raise awareness on how to prevent them, it said that globally birth defects effect one in 33 babies born. While several birth defects have no known cause or prevention, others could be prevented by taking appropriate measures before and during pregnancy. A group of major birth defects that were scientifically known to be avoidable were neural tube defects (NTDs) and included spina bifida and anencephaly. These were severe birth defects resulting from inappropriate development of the neurological system within the first few weeks of pregnancy. Over the past 20 years the total prevalence rate of NTDs in Malta has been 11 per 10,000 births and has not shown significant decrease.  Research shows that when women planning to get pregnant take folic acid before and during the first few months of pregnancy, their risk of...

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