Questioning Folic Acid's Fetal Benefit

摘要

Since 1998, the U.S. has fortified grains with folic acid because many pregnant women naturally consume too little of the vitamin, increasing the odds their babies will have neural tube defects such as spina bifida. Now a provocative animal study in the 15 September issue of Human Molecular Genetics suggests supplementing diets with folic acid can itself sometimes promote birth defects.