Folic Acid News and Research

RSS

Folic acid is a B vitamin. It helps the body make healthy new cells. Everyone needs folic acid. For women who may get pregnant, it is really important. When a woman has enough folic acid in her body before and during pregnancy, it can prevent major birth defects of her baby's brain or spine.

Foods with folic acid in them include leafy green vegetables, fruits, dried beans, peas and nuts. Enriched breads, cereals and other grain products also contain folic acid. If you don't get enough folic acid from the foods you eat, you can also take it as a dietary supplement.

Supplements over salmon? Study finds pregnant women choose capsules over food

Researchers surveyed 1,780 pregnant women across four European countries and found that half used fish oil and 10% used probiotics, with awareness and beliefs about supplementation varying widely.

7 Apr 2025

Scientists make breakthrough in understanding the causes of spina bifida

Scientists at Rady Children's Institute for Genomic Medicine, and the Department of Neurosciences and Pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego, have made a significant breakthrough in understanding the causes of spina bifida, a serious birth defect affecting thousands of newborns each year.

1 Apr 2025

Not all Chinese food is equal: study ranks cuisines by inflammatory potential

Researchers analyzed 980 dishes from eight major Chinese cuisines to evaluate their nutritional profiles and inflammatory potential using the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII).

31 Mar 2025

Could tea during pregnancy give your baby a brain boost? Research says yes

Maternal tea consumption during pregnancy – particularly in the second and third trimesters – is associated with improved cognitive, fine motor, and gross motor skills in 3-year-olds, while coffee intake shows no significant impact, according to a Chinese cohort study of 1,423 mother-child pairs.

18 Mar 2025

Cheese vs. Diet Coke: An Aussie dentist weighs in on the viral TikTok hack

A bizarre TikTok trend has people pairing Diet Coke with cheese in the name of dental health—but does it actually work? Dr. Ben Hargreave from Dental Boutique breaks down the science and shares which foods actually protect your teeth.

11 Mar 2025

Why do some people need supplements and others don’t? New review explains

New research in The New England Journal of Medicine reviews current knowledge on micronutrient requirements, deficiencies, and interventions. It highlights the need for targeted supplementation and calls for advanced research to better diagnose and treat hidden deficiencies.

9 Mar 2025

NHS could prevent thousands of heart attacks and strokes with a single "polypill" strategy

The NHS could prevent thousands more heart attacks and strokes every year by offering everyone in the UK aged 50 and over a single "polypill" combining a statin and three blood pressure lowering drugs, according to academics from UCL.

5 Mar 2025

Higher folic acid doses in early pregnancy improve verbal and behavioral skills in children

Taking a higher dose of folic acid during the first trimester of pregnancy was safe and associated with improved verbal abilities in children at age six as well as improved behavior skills, according to a preliminary study released today, March 4, 2025, that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 77th Annual Meeting taking place April 5–9, 2025, in San Diego and onli

4 Mar 2025

New study shows why breastfeeding and fortified foods must go hand in hand

Food fortification and breastfeeding play a crucial role in combating malnutrition during a child's first 1,000 days, but their success depends on improved monitoring, policy support, and public-private partnerships.

4 Mar 2025

AI vs. dietitians: Can ChatGPT accurately assess your meals?

Researchers evaluated ChatGPT-4’s accuracy in estimating nutrient content from meal images and found that while it correctly identified foods, it underestimated portion sizes and most nutrients, especially in larger meals.

10 Feb 2025

New drug delivery system shows promise for treating choriocarcinoma

A new drug delivery system shows promise for treating a rare, aggressive form of cancer affecting pregnant women and new mothers, and it has potential with other cancers as well.

6 Feb 2025

Prenatal multiple micronutrient supplements lower risk of small, vulnerable newborns

Prenatal MMS significantly lowers the risk of small, vulnerable newborns, highlighting its role in improving neonatal health in low and middle-income countries.

31 Jan 2025

Breakthrough study highlights role of prenatal supplements in preventing infant mortality

Dongqing Wang, an assistant professor of Global and Community Health at George Mason's College of Public Health, is pioneering research in prenatal nutritional interventions.

29 Jan 2025

Collaborative effort targets better nutrition for pregnant women and children

Poor nutrition during pregnancy can have serious consequences for both maternal and child health.

8 Jan 2025

New method uses lactic acid bacteria to produce vitamin B2

Many vitamins are produced in chemical factories, often synthetically, but researchers at the Technical University of Denmark have succeeded in developing a natural and simple method for producing vitamin B2: by gently heating lactic acid bacteria.

11 Dec 2024

New insights into anti-seizure medications during pregnancy

Two common antiseizure medications, lamotrigine and levetiracetam, are safe to use during pregnancy, according to a Stanford Medicine-led study.

3 Dec 2024

Advances in neutropenia research could pave the way for better treatments

Neutropenia is a condition in which there are not enough neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, in the blood.

5 Nov 2024

Iron and vitamin D reduce depression risk, while selenium and magnesium raise it

Researchers explore the causality between micronutrient intake and depression using Mendelian randomization.

4 Nov 2024

Scurvy may be making a comeback amid economic strain

The scourge of scurvy, which is caused by vitamin C deficiency, may be re-emerging amid the cost of living crisis and the rise in weight loss (bariatric) surgery, suggest doctors in the journal BMJ Case Reports after treating a middle-aged man with the condition.

22 Oct 2024