Folic acid : prevention of birth defects

Abstract

Folate is essential for normal cell division and as intrauterine fetal growth involves a process of rapidly dividing cells, there is a consequent increased requirement for folate at this time. Folate, and the synthetic form folic acid, is thus vital for the early development process of a healthy fetus and there is indisputable evidence that it can significantly reduce the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs). Further ongoing research suggests that folic acid supplementation in pregnancy is also associated with a decreased risk of other birth defects. This review gives an overview of the current literature related to the use of folic acid in the peri-conceptional period and prevention of birth defects, in particular NTDs.