Pregnant or not, take Folic acid!

If you are pregnant (Whether it is your first or subsequent pregnancy),you need to know that having a healthy baby that is free of any serious birth defect is to ensure you get enough folic acid in your diet every day — especially before conception and during earlypregnancy.

It may also interest you to know that only 50 percent of pregnancies are planned, so any woman who could become pregnant should make sure she’s getting enough folic acid at any point in time.

Why you should take folic acid
Doctors and other medical scientists say folic acid is crucial in the development of DNA. As a result, folic acid plays a large role in cell growth and development, as well as tissue formation.


Only last week, I was chatting with a group of pregnant women about intake of folate. It was a bit of a shock to discover that none of the women knew that Folic Acid must be taken before and during pregnancy to prevent birth defects. Yet each of them claimed to have registered for their ante-natal clinics where they were only instructed to take in folic acid without being toldwhy.

A study in the US also showed that less than 7 percent of pregnant and lactating women had the same awareness or prior knowledge about the relationship between folate intake and birth defects.

Where is Folic acid?
Folic acid, or folate, is a B vitamin (B9) found mostly in leafy green vegetables such as bitter leaf and spinach. It is also plentiful in orange juice and enriched grains.

How much folate do you need?
As a woman, if you get an intake of 400 micrograms (0.4 milligrams) of folate daily prior to conception and during early pregnancy, the risk that your baby will be born with a serious neural tube defect (a birth defect involving incomplete development of the brain and spinal cord) is reduced by as much as to 70 percent.
Folate and birth defects Common neural tube birth defects are spina bifida, an incomplete closure of the spinal cord and spinal column; anencephaly, severe underdevelopment of the brain and encephalocele, when brain tissue protrudes out to the skin from an abnormal opening in the skull.

Medical findings show that all of these defects could occur during the first 28 days of pregnancy — usually before a woman even knows she’s pregnant.That’s why it’s so important for all women of childbearing age to get enough folic acid — not just those who are planning to become pregnant

Getting enough folate
Adequate folic acid intake is very important before conception and at least three months afterward to potentially reduce the risk of having a foetus with a neural tube defect. So, how can you make sure you’re getting enough? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration( FDA), and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control( NAFDAC) mandate that folic acid be added to enriched grain products.
So boost your intake by ingesting breakfast cereals, breads, pastas, and rice containing 100 percent of the recommended allowance.But for most women, eating fortified foods isn’t enough. To reach the
recommended daily level, they’ll probably need prenatal vitamin supplement especially during pregnancy.This is where preparations such as Pharmaton Matruelle come in. All the vitamins and minerals needed for pre, during and lactating periods are contained in it.

What experts say about supplementation
A Pharmacist, Temitayo Alegbejo urges all women of childbearing age to develop habit of taking enough folate whether or not they are pregnant.”If women of child bearing age embrace this habit, there would be fewer incidences of serious birth defects.”The MD, Benjamin Michaels Ltd, Mr. Adeyemi Amuwo notes that each component meets the Recommended Daily Allowance, in a single capsule which makes compliance very easy and it is taken once a day.

Alegbejo described Pharmaton Matruelle—a brand of prenatal vitamin and mineral supplement preparation, from the stable of Benjamin Michaels as being essential for protection against known and unknown embryonic tube diseases.

”It has all the vitamins and minerals needed for pre, during and lactating periods. It is a quality balanced formula for both mother and baby reflecting the latest USA Dietary Reference Intake, DRI, for pregnant women.”

In the experts’ opinion, supplementation is needed to cover the increased needs for vitamins, minerals, trace elements and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) during pregnancy and acts as prophylaxis for iron and folic acid anaemia during pregnancy.
source: Vanguard