folic acid req's

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More women at risk for having a child with birth defects than thought

THURSDAY, May 20 (HealthDayNews) — If you're thinking of having a

child, your risk for giving birth to a baby with neural tube defects

may be greater than you think.

New research shows a genetic variant puts half of all women at

increased risk for these conditions. The finding highlights the

importance of taking folic acid supplements during pregnancy because

they dramatically reduce your risk, the authors of a new study say.

Spina bifida, perhaps the most well-known neural tube defect, is a

deformation of the spine and is the leading cause of childhood

paralysis in the United States. Anencephaly is the congenital absence

of much of the brain and spinal cord; it leads to miscarriage,

stillbirth or death shortly after birth.

" It has been known that this particular gene variant, called the

MTHFR C677T variant, is linked to spina bifida, " said lead researcher

Dr. Peadar Kirke, a specialist in public health medicine from the

Health Research Board in Dublin, Ireland.

" What's new about this study is if you have only one copy of this

variant, it also increases the risk of spina bifida, " he added.

Basically, a woman can have one of two variants of this gene, TT or

CT. It has been found that women with the TT variant have a 250

percent greater risk of giving birth to a baby with a neural tube

defect.

However, the new study showed that women with the CT variant also

face a greater risk, in this case 50 percent. The normal form of the

gene, CC, is not associated with any increased risk.

" About 38 percent of women have this CT variant, " Kirke said, while

only 10 percent of women have the TT variant.

In their study, Kirke and his colleagues looked at the genotype of

395 people born with neural tube defects and compared them with 848

healthy people.

Their report appears in the May 22 issue of the British Medical

Journal.

" Our findings give a lot of extra weight to the public health

recommendation that women should take folic acid, " Kirke said.

Both these genotypes are associated with lower levels of folate and

higher levels of homocysteine. Taking folic acid supplements can

correct this problem and prevent at least 50 percent to 70 percent of

these birth defects, the researchers said.

" Neural tube defects arise from a failure of closure of the

developing neural tube, " Kirke explained. " This is the part of the

baby that becomes the spine and the brain. "

" Because this happens at about five weeks after a missed period, it

is very important that folic acid is taken before you become

pregnant, " he added. " Taking folic acid after you know you are

pregnant will not offer the protection. "

" Any woman who could become pregnant should be taking 400 micrograms

of folic acid daily, at least a month before becoming pregnant, " he

stressed. This is in addition to any foods that are fortified with

folic acid, such as breakfast cereals.

H. Finnell, director of the Institute of Biosciences and

Technology at Texas A&M University, said, " If women of reproductive

age took a multivitamin containing folic acid, it would not matter if

you were CT, or TT or even CC. It would make any risk from the MTHFR

gene disappear. "

Dr. C. Duncan, a professor of neurosurgery and pediatrics at

Yale University, put it more simply: " If you are thinking of making

babies, take folic acid. "

-- Reinberg, HealthDayNews

What you can do

If you're pregnant or trying to get pregnant, make sure you're eating

a well-balanced diet and getting enough folic acid.

If you're pregnant you should be getting at least 600 micrograms of

folic acid every day. If you're trying to conceive or having

heterosexual sex, it's a good idea to take at least 400 micrograms of

folic acid daily. If you do become pregnant, your baby will get the

benefits of folic acid when they're most critical — in those first

few weeks before you know for sure whether you're pregnant.