pregnancy

Vitamin B12 Deficiency Increase Risk of Neural Tube Defects

Filed in archive Medical Issues , Pregnancy and Nutrition on March 2, 2009

It appears that folic acid is not the only crucial nutrient in a pregnant woman's diet that can influence the risks of her baby developing neural tube defects such as spina bifida. A new study indicates that children born to women who have low blood levels of vitamin B12 shortly before and after conception may have an increased risk of a neural tube defect. Vegans/vegetarians and those who suffer from intestinal disorders that prevent them from absorbing sufficient amounts of the vitamin are at risk of Vitamin B12 deficiency.

The researchers suggested that women should have Vitamin B12 levels above 300 ng/L before becoming pregnant, as critical events in brain and neural tube formation occur within the first weeks, before women even realize that they're pregnant.

Vitamin B12 is available in milk, Meats, poultry, eggs, as well as fortified cereals and some other fortified foods.



Permalink: Vitamin B12 Deficiency Increase Risk of Neural Tube Defects

Tags: vitamin  pregnancy  nutrition  section  noscript  noscript+section  neural+tube  allocate+space 

Vote for Vitamin B12 Deficiency Increase Risk of Neural Tube Defects:

  • Currently 9.33/10
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
Rating: 9.33 out of 3 vote(s) cast.
 
Share It
RSSrss
Google google
Yahoo! yahoo
Addthis Subscribe using any feed reader!
Bloglines Bloglines
TwitterFollow us on Twitter!
Most Popular   Baby Gear   Baby Shower   Baby's First Year   Best of   Childbirth   Did you know   Family Life   First Trimester   Infant Care   Infanticipating Dads   Information About   Is it Safe...?   IVF and Assisted Pregnancies   Maternity Fashion   Medical Issues   Miscarriage/Stillbirth   Multiple Pregnancy   NNM Blog Housekeeping   Online Resources   Other Pregnancy Issues