Folic acid helps babies’ hearts

The Daily Mail highlighted new UBC research showing that food containing folic reduces the number of babies born with heart defects by 11 per cent.

The researchers studied data on almost six million births in Canada between 1990 and 2011. They found that the number of babies with heart defects fell after flours, pasta and cornmeal were fortified with folic acid starting in 1998.

Folic acid supplements are already recommended for women to protect their child from brain and spine defects such as spina bifida. Heart defects are more serious and potentially fatal.

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