Can Folic Acid Prevent Down Syndrome?
THURSDAY, April 17 (HealthScoutNews) — There seems to be a link between two disparate birth defects, Down syndrome and neural tube defects, and that link is folic acid, an international research group reports. Studies of pregnancy outcomes in Israel and Ukraine find that families with a high incidence of neural tube defects also have an unexpectedly high incidence of Down syndrome, says a report in the April 19 issue of The Lancet. The research was done by a group led by Howard Cuckle, a professor of reproductive endocrinology at the University of Leeds in England. Abnormal metabolism of folic acid appears to underlie both defects, the researchers say. The link between folic acid and neural tube detects is well established; the U.S. Public Health Service recommends that women who are pregnant or might become pregnant take 400 micrograms of folic acid daily to prevent the defect, which affects the brain and spinal cord. But the new study is among the first to suggest a link with Down s
