1 / 12

FOLIC ACID

FOLIC ACID. It’s never too early . What is folic a cid?. B vitamin essential for healthy development of unborn baby’s spine, brain and skull can help reduce risk of birth defects such as spina bifida by as much as 70%. What are neural tube defects?.

floria
Download Presentation

FOLIC ACID

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. FOLIC ACID It’s never too early ...

  2. What is folic acid? • B vitamin essential for healthy development of unborn baby’s spine, brain and skull • can help reduce risk of birth defects such as spina bifida by as muchas 70%

  3. What are neural tube defects? • neural tube defects (NTDs) are birth defects that occur early in pregnancy • often before a woman knows she is pregnant • neural tube grows to become baby’s spinal cord, spine, brain and skull

  4. Which NTDS are most common? • Spina Bifida • a condition that results when the lower part of the neural tube fails to develop properly • Anencephaly • a fatal condition in which the upper end of the neural tube fails to close Occulta Meningocele Myelomeningocele

  5. Why is folic acid important? • reduces risk of NTDs by up to 70% • if taken before conception and during the first trimester, consistently and correctly • reduces risk of other birthdefects, such as cleft lipand palate, and certain heart abnormalities

  6. Who should take folic acid? • all women of childbearing age • minimum of 0.4 mg of folic acid daily • more for high-risk women • about half of all pregnancies unplanned

  7. Who is at higher risk? • women who... • have a previous pregnancy affected by an NTD • have a family history of NTDs • use certain anti-seizure medication • have insulin-dependent diabetes • been diagnosed as clinically obese • abuse alcohol • are of Celtic, Northern Chinese, Cree and Sikh heritage

  8. Sources of folic acid • all women need healthy diet high in folic acid • foods high in folic acid • asparagus, broccoli, corn, spinach, orange juice, sunflower seeds, peanut butter, beans • foods fortified with folic acid • white flour, enriched pasta, enriched cornmeal

  9. What if I’m high-risk? • consult a health professional • to determine correct dosage of folic acid • to determine best multivitamin • may require up to 5 mg of folic acid daily

  10. Why spread the word? • less than half of women between 18 and 40 ... • know folic acid can prevent birth defects • are currently taking a multivitamin • almost two-thirds ... • don’t know folic acid needs to be taken beforeconception to reduce the risk

  11. take a brochure • download more at www.folicacid.ca • visit www.folicacid.ca and www.sbhao.on.ca • encourage health professionals to help spread the word • doctors, nurses, doulas, nutritionists, dieticians, etc. For more information ...

  12. Help spread the word ... FOLIC ACID It’s never too early!

More Related