Relation between Folic Acid and Neural Tube Defect

Abstract

Neural tube defects (NTDs) are common complex congenital malformations resulting from failure of the neural tube closure during embryogenesis, a lot of studies established that folic acid supplementation decreases the prevalence of NTDs, this report summarizes some of these studies, which have led to the current situation in which all women capable of becoming pregnant should consume 400 micrograms of folic acid/day for the purpose of reducing this risk. The folate-NTD relation represents the only instance in which a congenital malformation can be prevented simply and consistently. Nevertheless, several research gaps remain: identification of the mechanism by which the defect occurs and how folate ameliorates it, characterization of the relative efficacy of food folate, folic acid added to foods, and folic acid by itself; delineation of the dose-response relations of folate and NTD prevention