Folic acid supplementation

Neural tube defects represent one of a limited number of congenital conditi ons for which primary prevention strategies are available. Despite strong c linical evidence to support the preventive effect of supplementary folio ac id given prior to conception and continued throughout the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, there is limited recent epidemiological data to support the eff ectiveness of national folio acid supplementation programs. Whether folio a cid fortification of staple foods will provide a more effective means of ac hieving further reductions in the prevalence rates for this condition remai ns open to question. Recent advances associating folio acid supplementation , hyperhomocysteinaemia and neural tube defects provide a new insight into the possible pathological mechanism of this and possibly other related cong enital conditions. (C) 2000 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins