Children with the severe form of spina bifida have some degree of leg paralysis and bladder and bowel control problems. Anencephaly is a fatal condition in which a baby is born with a severely underdeveloped brain and skull. Studies also suggest that folic acid may help prevent some other birth defects as well, including cleft lip and palate . The March of Dimes recommends that all women who can become pregnant take a multivitamin that contains 400 micrograms of folic acid every day and eat a healthy diet. This is the only sure way a woman can get all the folic acid and other vitamins she needs.
Most women get less than half of the recommended amount of folic acid daily.
The Institute of Medicine also recommends that women eat a diet rich in foods that contain folate or folic acid. Folate is the natural form of folic acid that is found in foods. The body more readily absorbs folic acid from vitamin supplements and fortified foods than folate from food. It is estimated that 50 percent of food folate is absorbed by the body, while approximately 85 percent of folic acid in fortified foods and 100 percent of the folic acid in a vitamin supplement are absorbed. Cooking and storage also destroy some of the folate in foods.