For some years now the government has recommended that newly pregnant mothers and those planning to have a baby should take folic acid as a daily dietary supplement. This recommendation is based on research which has shown that taking folic acid can help reduce the risk of having a baby with spina bifida. A few studies have also indicated that folic acid may alter the likelihood of having a baby with a cleft but are no published guidelines as to what size of dose might be effective.
Folic acid is an essential vitamin found in meat, fresh fruit and vegetables.
Research has shown that mothers who have a deficiency of folic acid in their diets may be at an increased risk of having a child with spina bifida, and that taking an extra daily dose of folic acid from at least 2 months before the conception of the baby can reduce the chances of this happening. Many factors are involved in the formation of the human face. These include a number of genes which control the facial cells' activities - the way the cells move, divide and become a specific part of the face. If these genes do not work normally for any reason, the development of the face may be altered, and could result in a cleft. It may be that some of these important genes require certain nutritional factors, such as folic acid, in order to act.