What is Folic Acid?
Folic acid is a B vitamin which is needed by the body to make new cells. Everybody needs folic acid but during pregnancy when new cells are formed in the baby and therefore more folic acid is needed. If a woman has enough folic acid in her body before she is pregnant, it can help prevent major birth defects of her babies brain and spine. These birth defects are neural tube defects. Women need to take folic acid every day, starting before they are pregnant to help prevent Neural Tube Defects (NTD).
How much of extra Folic Acid should be taken?
Folic acid occurs naturally in food like green leafy vegetables. But CDC & doctors recommend that women should take folic acid tablets once every day to prevent defects of her baby's brain and spine. Recommended dose is 400 mcg of Folic Acid every day.
CDC (Center for Disease Control, USA) recommends every woman of child bearing age to take Folic Acid 400 microgramme (400 mcg) every day to prevent birth defects.
Why should women take folic acid before being pregnant?
Women should take folic acid before pregnancy to prevent birth defects of the brain and spine, as these happen in the first few weeks of pregnancy, often before a woman finds out that she is pregnant. All women should get in the habit of taking folic acid daily even when they are not planning to get pregnant. For folic acid to help, a woman needs to take it every day, starting before she becomes pregnant.
Why should you take Folic acid when you make effort to eat a healthy and nutritious diet?
You might think that you can get all the folic acid and other vitamins you need from the food you eat each day. But it is hard to eat a diet that has all the nutrients you need every day. Even with careful planning, you might not get all the vitamins you need from your diet alone. That's why it's important to take a vitamin with folic acid every day.
For more information visit
http://www.pregnancy-guidelines.com
http://prgnancyguidelines.blogspot.com
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