Prevent Neural Tube Defects
Folate acid plays an important role during pregnancy. Having a low level in the early weeks is associated with a higher risk of neural tube defects in newborn babies, like malformations of the spinal cord, spine, or even the brain. Thus, infants of those people who take folate supplements before and during pregnancy are often delivered with considerably lower rates of those problems. On average, a pregnant woman should take in around 400 mcg of folic acid on a daily basis to achieve this benefit. It is advisable to purchase varieties with methylated folate as the body could use this active form without converting. [2]
