THURSDAY, May 10, 2007 (HealthDay News) -- There are racial and ethnic differences among U.S. women of childbearing age in the intake of folic acid, which can prevent serious neural tube defects that affect the brain and spinal cord.
That finding is published in the May issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Even though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires moderate folic acid (folate) supplementation of enriched cereal-grain products, most women of childbearing age don't get the recommended 400 micrograms of folic acid a day, the study noted.
Researchers analyzed data on 1,685 women, ages 15 to 49, who took part in the 2001-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Of those women, 69.9 percent were non-Hispanic white, 13.5 percent were non-Hispanic black, and 17 percent were Hispanic.
Overall, the women consumed an average of 221 micrograms of folic acid a day from fortified foods and diet supplements, and an additional 151 micrograms a day from naturally occurring folic acid in foods, such as dark, leafy vegetables.
The study found that 40.5 percent of non-Hispanic white women, 21 percent of Hispanic women, and 19.1 percent of non-Hispanic black women got 400 micrograms or more of folic acid a day from all sources.
Among the women who did get the recommended amount of folic acid, 76 percent consumed folic acid supplements. Supplement use was lower among non-Hispanic black women and Hispanic women than among non-Hispanic white women.
These findings may help explain why non-Hispanic black women have a higher risk of having babies with neural tube defects, the study authors said.
More information
The Nemours Foundation has more about folic acid.
