| The next time you take a walk down the aisles of your local grocery store, look closely at the labels on breads, grains, pastas, and cereals. You will see that that they are fortified with Folic Acid. Did you know that the March of Dimes advocated for Folic Acid fortification of grain products? This has led to to a 27% reduction in neural tube defects in babies born across the country!
As a result of the March of Dimes campaign and the work of states and agencies including the CDC, awareness and consumption of folic acid have increased dramatically among women of childbearing age. A comparison of Gallup polls from 1995 to 2007 showed: 81% of women reported having heard of or read about folic acid, a significant increase from the baseline of 52% 12% knew that folic acid should be taken before pregnancy, compared with 2% in 1995 40% reported taking a vitamin supplement containing folic acid on a daily basis, compared with 28% in 1995.
In addition to raising public awareness and consumption of folic acid, the March of Dimes has supported a number of research grants aimed at improving understanding of how folic acid prevents neural tube defects and how folic acid may help prevent other birth defects and health problems.
Don't forget to take the recommended 400 micrograms of folic acid every day! |
