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Article: Use of vitamins containing folic acid among women of childbearing age--United States, 2004.
- Article from:
- MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
- Article date:
- September 17, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 U.S. Government Printing Office. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Neural tube defects (NTDs) are serious birth defects of the spine (spina bifida) and brain (anencephaly), affecting approximately 3,000 pregnancies each year in the United States (1). Periconceptional consumption of the B vitamin folic acid reduces the occurrence of NTDs by 50%-70% (2). To prevent these defects, the U.S. Public Health Service (1992) and Institute of Medicine (1998) issued separate recommendations that all women capable of becoming pregnant consume 400 [micro]g of folic acid daily, and the Food and Drug Administration mandated fortification of cereal grain products with folic acid to increase women's daily intake (3,4). Fortification of the U.S. food supply ...