Vitamin Information Center

If you’re a young woman, take a vitamin supplement with folic acid.

Public health experts have been saying this for years, because folic acid _ a synthetic form of the B vitamin folate found in leafy green veggies _ can reduce the risk of brain and spinal cord birth defects by up to 70 percent.

Alas, only 12 percent of women ages 18 to 45 have heard about the benefits of folic acid, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among Hispanic women, awareness is even less, which the CDC says is why their children are 1.5 times to three times more likely to have a “neural tube” birth defect such as spina bifida than children of non-Hispanic white women.

7The government recommends 400 micrograms a day of folate for everyone over 13, but 600 mcg. for pregnant women.

Since many pregnancies aren’t planned, it’s important for women of childbearing age to take a folic acid vitamin supplement just to be safe, said CDC epidemiologist Heather Hamner.

Choosing a multivitamin today can be very stressful as there are hundreds of companies looking to sell them to you. Since not all vitamins are created equal, with different ingredients and daily values (DV), it is important that you know what you are looking at on the label. A good multivitamin should provide 100 percent of the DV of vitamins and minerals, but there are some exceptions. Some you do not need at all, some you only need a little and some you can benefit from more. Continue Reading…

f you’re a young women, take a vitamin supplement with folic acid.

Public health experts have been saying this for years, because folic acid - a synthetic form of the B vitamin folate found in leafy green veggies - can reduce the risk of brain and spinal cord birth defects by up to 70 percent.

Alas, only 12 percent of women ages 18 to 45 have heard about the benefits of folic acid, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among Hispanic women, awareness is even less, which the CDC says is why their children are 1.5 times to three times more likely to have a “neural tube” birth defect such as spina bifida than children of non-Hispanic white women. Continue Reading…

By: Carol L. Ohnesorge

www.naturalnews.com

Key concepts: RDA, nutrition and Big Pharma

(NaturalNews) The cover of the November 2007 issue of Reader’s Digest magazine makes a strong statement through a featured article entitled The Vitamin Hoax: 10 Not to Take. Written by Reader’s Digest Senior Research Editor, Neena Samuel, the article cautions readers not to be duped into purchasing vitamins and supplements. She seems concerned by the gullibility of Americans who are “fooled by unrealistic claims of what vitamins can do to ‘increase energy,’ ’stimulate brain function,’ ‘improve sex drive,’ ‘reverse cancer’ and ‘remove plaque’ from your arteries.” Continue Reading…