Prenatal Research: Lack of folic acid enrichment in Europe causes mortality among fetuses ♦ Better maternal diet linked to lower risk of heart abnormalities in babies at birth

Some radiation okay for expectant mother and fetus During pregnancy, approximately 5 to 8 percent of women sustain traumatic injuries, including fractures and muscle tears. To help evaluate and manage these injuries, orthopaedic surgeons often recommend radiographs and other imaging studies. Most diagnostic studies are generally safe, and the radiation doses from these studies are well below thresholds considered risky.

Parents' preconception exposure to environmental stressors can disrupt early development Even before a child is conceived, the parents' exposure to environmental stressors can alter the way genes are expressed and ultimately harm the child's health when those genes are passed down to the next generation.

Better maternal diet linked to lower risk of heart abnormalities in babies at birth A relatively healthy diet before pregnancy is linked to a lower rate of certain heart abnormalities in babies at birth

Lack of folic acid enrichment in Europe causes mortality among fetuses A new international study shows that 5,000 fetuses in Europe annually are affected by spina bifida and other severe defects on the central nervous system. Seventy percent of these pregnancies are terminated, while increased mortality and serious diseases affect the children who are born. At least half of the cases can be avoided by adding folic acid to staple foods as is already being done in 70 non-European countries

Senior Health: loneliness in older adults leads to more doctors' office visits ♦ Folic acid helps elderly weather heat waves ♦ How to repair damaged nerve cells

Chronic loneliness in older adults leads to more doctors' office visits, study finds Experiences of loneliness and social isolation can lead to increased health care use among older adults. The study found that the frequency of physician visits was particularly influenced by chronic loneliness and suggests that the identification and targeting of interventions for lonely elders may significantly decrease physician visits and health care costs.

Folic acid may help elderly weather heat waves Supplemental folic acid can enhance blood vessel dilation in older adults suggesting that folic acid supplements may be an inexpensive alternative for helping older adults to increase skin blood flow during heat waves and reduce cardiovascular events.

Scientists one step closer to finding how to repair damaged nerve cells team of researchers has uncovered a new kind of synergy in the development of the nervous system, which explains an important mechanism required for neural circuits to form properly. This breakthrough could eventually help develop tools to repair nerve cells following injuries to the nervous system

Team succeeds in doubling life span of mice suffering from premature aging An increase in the capacity to produce nucleotides, the 'building blocks' of DNA, reduces genome fragility and counteracts premature aging in mutant mice for the ATR protein. The experiments may explain the beneficial effects of folic acid, a precursor of nucleotides, which are clinically used to alleviate the degenerative symptoms associated with aging.

Health News: Radioactivity found in Japanese tea ♦ E-cigarettes can be regulated now ♦ Reducing the risk of stroke + More

E-cigarettes can be regulated now without more research, expert says  A legal scholar and tobacco control expert says he has developed a research-based roadmap that allows for the immediate regulation of e-cigarettes. Continue Reading

Slight Radioactivity found in Japanese tea shipped to Hong Kong  Food safety authorities in Hong Kong found trace amounts of radioactive cesium 137 in powdered tea imported from Japan last week The sample tested at nearly one percent of the legal limit for radiation and was not considered a public health threat. Regardless, the importer voluntarily recalled the product.... Continue Reading

Inflammatory factor may play essential role in development of sepsis A new study finds that Interleukin-3, an inflammatory factor most associated with allergic reactions, has an important role in the overwhelming, life-threatening immune reaction called sepsis. Investigators found that the presence of IL-3 is essential to the development of sepsis in a mouse model and that IL-3 levels in human patients with sepsis are higher in those at greater risk of dying. Continue Reading

Folic acid supplementation among adults with hypertension reduces risk of stroke  In a study that included more than 20,000 adults in China with high blood pressure but without a history of stroke or heart attack, the combined use of the hypertension medication enalapril and folic acid, compared with enalapril alone, significantly reduced the risk of first stroke, according to a study Continue Reading

Hospital ratings on social media appear to reflect quality of care  A correlation between how hospitals are rated on Facebook's five-star system and how well they performed on a widely used measure of quality care has been uncovered by researchers. Social media has become an important way for institutions to communicate Continue Reading

Pregnancy Health News;Too much folic acid while pregnant may put daughters at risk ♦ Damage from obesity passed to offspring ♦ Tobacco-smoking increases diabetes risk for children in utero

Taking too much folic acid while pregnant may put daughters at risk of diabetes and obesity

Mothers that take excessive amounts of folic acid during pregnancy may predispose their daughters to diabetes and obesity later in life. With high dose supplements being widely available, the study calls for a need to establish a safe upper limit of folic acid intake for pregnant women.Continue Reading

Damage from obesity passed to offspring, but impact can be reversed,

In a breakthrough discovery, researchers have revealed how damage from obesity in mice is passed from a mother to her children, and also how that damage can be reversed.Continue Reading

Tobacco-smoking moms and dads increase diabetes risk for children in utero

Children exposed to tobacco smoke from their parents while in the womb are predisposed to developing diabetes as adults.Continue Reading

Neural Tube Defect Prevalence at Birth

Study: Updated Estimates of Neural Tube Defect Prevalence at Birth Before and After Mandatory Folic Acid Fortification — United States, 1995–2011

Even with the success of folic acid fortification, we can do more. Public health interventions targeting women with lower folic acid intake, especially Hispanic women, might help reduce neural tube defect prevalence even further. The prevalence of neural tube defects (NTDs) has decreased by 35 percent since folic acid fortification in the United States, which translates to about 1,300 babies born NTD-free annually because of this intervention. NTDs are serious birth defects of the brain or spine.

Since 1998, enriched grain products in the U.S. have been fortified with folic acid to prevent NTDs. Even with fortification, some women do not get enough folic acid. CDC urges all women of childbearing age, whether planning a pregnancy or not, to get 400 mcg of folic acid daily from fortified foods, supplements, or both, in addition to consuming folate-rich foods from a varied diet. Getting the recommen

Many women who have had a pregnancy affected by a neural tube defect (NTD) and are planning another pregnancy are not following folic acid supplement recommendations. Healthcare providers should strengthen their message to these women to encourage folic acid use. Among women with a previous pregnancy affected by a neural tube defect (NTD), women who had a second pregnancy affected by an NTD reported taking folic acid less often (35%) than those who had a baby without a birth defect (80%).

Women who have had a pregnancy affected by a NTD are at an increased risk for having another pregnancy affected by an NTD. High-dosage folic acid supplements -- 4.0 mg per day taken at least 4 weeks before becoming pregnant through the first 12 weeks of pregnancy -- are known to reduce the risk of a NTD.

These are 15 foods with folic acid

Dark Leafy Greens

2. Asparagus

3. Broccoli

4. Fruits- Papaya — Oranges —Grapefruit — Strawberries — Raspberries

5. Beans, Peas and Lentils

6. Avocado

7. Okra

8. Brussels Sprout

9. Seeds and Nuts

10. Cauliflower

11. Beets

12. Corn

13. Celery

14. Carrots

15. Squash