Is folic acide needed here for pregnant woman?

[Idefix]

You should stick to the vitamins made especially for pregnant women, since for instance, taking too much vitamin A during pregnancy can also cause birth defects. Regular vitamins, together with food intake, body lotions that may contain vitamin A, etc might cause a concern.

[TERI]

[quote]But everbody knows that what you find on the internet should be taken with a pinch of salt... Internet is not omnipotent![/quot

I totally agree. It goes for the threats of neural tube defects also.

[Amandine.K]

again check your facts before writing such things! Extensive research has been done, research not internet articles from wikipedia from someone suddenly claiming "hey what about we say that folic acid reduces risk of neural tube defects!"...

[TERI]

Yes, ma´am! Sorry, ma´am!

[AldenG]

Quite a few people have undiagnosed absorption problems, too, and need supplements of key nutrients in order to absorb sufficient amounts. For a person with somewhat poor absorption, not bad enough to notice under ordinary circumstances, just eating a diet with enough folate (or any other vitamin) doesn't mean they're absorbing enough of it to avoid a deficiency. B-vitamins and some amino acids are particularly vulnerable to poor absorption.

[biscayne]

Hi there,

Folic Acid is recommended in order to decrease the possibility of neural tube defects in the fetus - this is when the sheath covering the spine does not close properly and leaves a sort of gaping opening at any point along the spinal column - the main example of this is spina bifida, a neural tube defect can also cause a "cele" a sort of growth on the back to appear and this can affect mobility and continence. It was discovered that a low level of folic acid in the mother increased the risk to babies. However, what is often not told to women is that they really need to be taking the supplement before they concieve, it is not actually that useful after conception, although of course a healthy, balanced diet is most advisable during pregnancy or any other phase of life. The poster who said that supplements are not needed as the required vitamins can be obtained through a healthy diet is correct - technically, however, the sad fact is that most people do not get enough essential minerals and vitamins through diet alone as the typical western diet is too high in simple carbs (white bread, potatoes, sugary foods) and too low in fresh fruit, veg, legumes etc. If you want to get enought folic acid during your pregnancy without taking tablets, eat 3 servings of leafy green veg per day - so a salad with lunch, a helping of spinach or cabbage with dinner, salad on the side. The darker green the veg. the better. So, iceberg lettuce for example is not worth eating at all. Rocket, ruccola, lola rossa, rapunzel (lambs lettice), dark endive, those lettices are fine. If you don't like green veg. (as many people don't) then take a supplement. (by the way folic acid can be found in other foods, but I won't go into it now)

[TERI]

Praise the Lord, there are some sensible people after all. Thank you, Biscayne!

[Lisa 15]

Thanks Byscaine, I was about to post the samereply: Acid folid is needed before conception to reduce the risk of Spina Bifia There rae still many prevention habits that are not done in Finland, but they are getting there. Ex: the prevention of toxoplasmose (usually through cat's excrements): you really need to insits to get testeed for it, and even then, they might refuse to send you for the test Information on acid folic before conception is not well known either, and it's only since beginig of htis year that they started to cross the 1st echo with a blood sample to track down syndrom risk. Before it was only the ultra sound that was used. Now they have also started a more detailed scanned that allow them to check that the BB's heart is beating correctly and that the different veines are there.
About the neuvole, depending on where you leave, they might just refuse to see you before you passe the 8 weeks of pregnancy but it's always better to check, so call your local neuvola and see what they tell you Good luck for your first baby!

[AldenG]

OTOH, iceberg lettuce is more fibrous than most of the darker, leafier types of lettuce. In that respect, it's sort of between cabbage and salad leaves. I know it has been in vogue to talk about iceberg lettuce as a nutritional desert. In fact, it's a fashion that has spread round the globe. But it's based on selective emphasis of an incomplete picture of the food's attributes. We tend to think the vitamins are more important than the fiber, but that all depends on your genetic susceptibilities.

So iceberg may not be a valuable source of folate, particularly during pregnancy, but that doesn't mean it's not a valuable food.

[Upphew]

In the SB support groups she's been involved with, the common denominator in most of the children born with SB is that the mother was not taking folic acid before and/or after conception.

Correlation does not imply causation. And I'm not saying that you are wrong!
Wikipedia's source about "Periconceptional vitamin use, dietary folate, and the occurrence of neural tube defects." also notes: "Reduced risks were less marked for Hispanics and were not observed among women who graduated from college." Did those SB support groupers happen to be also without college education?

[Tiwaz]

Yes, ma´am! Sorry, ma´am!

My Finnish god-son was born with spina bifida. My girlfriend's doctor was shocked that her neuvola nurse hadn't mentioned the use of folic acid when she and her husband were trying to get pregnant. Of course it's a roll of the dice about what caused the SB but she feels horrible now that she hadn't taken it since a lack of folic acid has been proven to be a major contributor to SB. In the SB support groups she's been involved with, the common denominator in most of the children born with SB is that the mother was not taking folic acid before and/or after conception.

And btw... her diet is well-balanced or so she felt it was.

As pointed above but I'll chip in as well...


So what reason based on facts she has to think that her diet did not have enough folic acid and that eating pills would have made a damn difference?

Folic acid is not some kind of miracle cure. Your kid can get defect even if you load your system with every supplicant you can imagine.

If this whole thing was as shockingly common as many supplicant users/sellers would like to claim, why huge majority of children born in Finland are born without any supplant folic acid and are just fine?

If D-vitamin was so insanely essential, why Finns have lived (and still do) in this dark country and manage to do just fine? Even though huge majority do not eat any additional supplant vitamins.

Honestly, I think those who do not give a damn about supplant vitamins/whatevers and just eat well are bound to be healthier and happier than people who have pills for every real and imaginary need.

It is just another source of pointless stress. Which, by the way, is not good for kiddies before or after birth. Fetus will have it's share of your stress hormones and kids will notice that mommy tries to imitate guitar string and get nervous themselves.

[TERI]

I totally agree with Tiwaz.
Plus - it really is a big money-magnet in the drug industry. Just look at the amount of supplements and vitamins in the pharmacy. Most of them are crap that advertise themselves as an essential thing to have a better life. Again, I´m not trying to be condescending, just want people to see the bigger picture and be reasonable with the chemistry.

[panda_123]

Yes it is required - to help prevent spinal cord injuries/defects...not sure of exact term. You can take this supplement throughout your whole pregnancy (I am 19 weeks myself).
If more women took this on a regular basis (green foods help - but not a lot) - the risks would be reduced greatly.

[biscayne]

Panda,

I don't agree with your reply, heres why: the only reason for taking folic acid is because the average person does not get enough of it through their diet. It is technically incorrect to say that "green foods (and other foods containing Folic Acid) help, but not a lot", they would provide enough Folic Acid, IF we ate enough of them - we generally don't. When the connection between neural tube defects and Folic Acid intake was discovered, it was suggested that women take a supplement if they are not getting enough in their diets. Naturally, the drug companies jumped on the bandwagon immediately and touted Folic Acid and Baby Vitamins in general as THE major factor in delivering a healthy and spina-bifida free child, because it is big money for them. Now, Folic Acid is water soluble, which means that if you take in more than the body needs on a daily basis, you will simply pee it out. So, if you already get it in your diet, taking more of it is a waste of money. The other thing is that in order for the Folic Acid to make a real contribution in terms of preventing or helping to prevent neural tube defects (there are several of these, spina bifida is only one), you have to have been taking it before you conceive. There really is not much benefit to taking it once the neural tube closes, other than for general health benefits to the mother. So many cheap and readily available foods are high in Folic Acid - oats, and many grains aswell as the green veg. But, the drug companies need to make money, right?

[Mook]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/8232089.stm