Daily HealthBeat Tip

Folic acid’s extra.

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Folic acid, a B vitamin, can prevent neural tube defects – birth defects involving the brain and spinal cord. Many foods are fortified with folic acid, so pregnant women can protect their babies.

And folic acid fortification might have another benefit – against death from stroke.

Quanhe Yang of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says fortification of foods since 1998 could explain why death rates from stroke are improving faster in the United States and Canada – which fortify foods – than in England and Wales, which don’t.

He says it’s not proved whether folic acid prevents stroke, but folic acid is good – and easy to find:

"There are many ways to get folic acid, such as eating fortified foods like cereal, grain products, breads." (seven seconds)

The report is in the journal Circulation.

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: March 28, 2006

The White House | USA.gov | HHS Archive | No FEAR Act