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Updated: Aug 29, 2026

Modifying Levels of Maternal Dietary Folic Acid or Choline to Study the Impact of Deficiencies on Offspring Health Outcomes
Published on: June 28, 2024
Folic acid and neural tube defects in pregnancy: a review
1State University of New York at Buffalo, School of Nursing, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA. jgeisel@buffalo.edu
Abstract:
Neural tube defects (NTDs) are common fetal malformations. They are multifactorial in origin, with folic acid as the primary known environmental factor. It is recommended that all women consume 0.4 mg of synthetic folic acid daily if there is any possibility of becoming pregnant. Women who have had a previous pregnancy affected by NTD should increase their folic acid intake to 4.0 mg daily periconceptually. The purpose of this article is to review the relationship between folic acid and NTDs. It also discusses how the knowledge and use of folic acid has affected the incidence of NTDs, and ways in which the knowledge and use of folic acid before pregnancy can be increased.
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