Have you heard of TV commercials advertising folic acid filled-milk? What do you think is the essence of this? How about lactose-free milk? We all know that babies need all the nutrients they can get, may it be from processed foods to their very own mothers’ milk.

Folic acid is a very important nutrient for babies. Expectant mothers must be aware of its benefit to their unborn child. A pregnant woman who consumes folic acid in her diet will make her baby less prone to Neural Tube Defects or NTD.

Neural Tube Defects can manifest in many different cases. One example is the Spina Bifida case. In simple terms, this is the inability of a portion of the baby’s spine to fully close leaving a bump-like appearance in the baby’s lower back portion (this could also be anywhere in the spine). According to medical professionals, this condition is brought about by folic acid deficiency during fetal life. Mothers of these babies may not have taken enough folic acid which could prevent the condition. So what are the effects of these neural tube defects? Babies with defects like Spina Bifida will manifest with motor weakness. They may appear less active than other children. Some babies may have problems with their bladder. A hairy patch can also be seen at the site of the bump. This is a typical sign for Spina Bifida patients. The effects can be minimal for other babies but severe for some.

Right now, governments are putting up measures to prevent an increase in Spina Bifida cases which was recorded as 700-900 babies born to mothers with minimal to zero folic acid consumption. The Food Standards Agency of Britain is hoping to increase people’s awareness pertaining to this important nutrient. This agency is tasked by the British government to oversee the public’s health needs and concerns.

In a recent board meeting of the agency, it came up with a resolution to police food products with an increased amount of folic acid. Deficiency is a problem but over consumption is also bad for babies’ health. So monitoring of folic acid on every food product is the Food Standards Agency’s new cause. For pregnant women looking for folic acid enriched food, they can look for spreads and cereals which contain them. Deidre Hutton, Food Standards Agency board chair, said that projects like fortification are important to change the medical course.

Many critics are against this folic acid drive since they claim that use of this in elderly patients masks the vitamin B12 that most geriatric patients lack. But then no one is listening to these critics. Everybody can see that the benefits far outweigh its disadvantages. Thirteen point three million of uninformed mothers most often deliver babies with neural defects. The agency’s goal is to lower this number down to 5.6 million and deliver more healthy babies.