Andhra Medical College researchers recommend folic acid intake before pregnancy to prevent neural tube defects

Visakhapatnam's Andhra Medical College promotes folic acid intake before pregnancy to prevent neural tube defects, spina bifida.

Visakhapatnam

Andhra Medical College (AMC) has urged the newly married couples and expectant mothers to consume vitamin B9 (folate and folic acid) before pregnancy to prevent neural tube defects (NTDs), a rare condition called spina bifida, which interferes with the proper development of the spinal cord in the womb, resulting in a permanent disability.

Currently, people are taking supplements after confirmation of the pregnancy, but it is better to start from the day after marriage, the researchers said.

The study, which focusses on the crucial role of folic acid intake before and during pregnancy in preventing the NTDs, was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association’s Network.

Speaking to reporters here on Saturday, AMC Principal G. Butchi Raju said, “The study was conducted in four villages of Alluri Sitharama Raju district, Folic acid-fortified salt was distributed to 1,200 participants over a four-month period. No adverse side effects were reported.”

Speaking to The Hindu, M.V. Vijaya Sekhar, head of Neurosurgery at Rangaraya Medical College (Kakinada), who recently transferred from the AMC, emphasised the severity of NTDs and the importance of preventive measures, especially in areas with limited access to treatment. The government should also take this lead and promote the importance of the folic acid or Vitamin B9 like the iodised salt, he added.