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Spina bifida risk in womb

TAKING folic acid helps prevent defects in a foetus’s neural tube, the structure that eventually becomes the baby’s brain and spinal cord.

Folic acid is the man-made version of the vitamin folate, found in green vegetables such as broccoli and Brussels sprouts, and helps the body make red blood cells.

Although the precise cause of spina bifida is unknown, a lack of folic acid has been identified as a key risk factor.

NHS guidance suggests women should take a 400 microgram folic acid tablet every day while trying to get pregnant and up to the 12th week of pregnancy.

Around a fifth of British women do not have enough folic acid in their diets.

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2021-12-02T08:00:00.0000000Z

2021-12-02T08:00:00.0000000Z

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