What are the benefits of taking folic acid during pregnancy?
Folic acid is an indispensable nutrient for women preparing for pregnancy and during pregnancy. It has been a hot topic in the field of maternal and child health in recent years. This article will combine the hot discussions on the Internet in the past 10 days to analyze the role of folic acid, supplement suggestions and common questions from a scientific perspective, and attach structured data for reference.
1. The core role of folic acid

| Function category | Specific performance | scientific basis |
|---|---|---|
| Prevent deformities | Reduces risk of neural tube defects by 70% | JAMA Clinical Research |
| promote development | Supports fetal DNA synthesis and cell division | World Health Organization Guidelines |
| maternal protection | Reduce risk of pregnancy-induced hypertension and anemia | Dietary recommendations during pregnancy from the Chinese Nutrition Society |
2. Supplementation time and dosage recommendations
According to the latest "Guidelines for folic acid supplementation to prevent neural tube defects during the peri-conception period" released by the National Health Commission, there are differences in supplementation plans for different groups of people:
| Crowd classification | daily dose | replenishment cycle |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary women of childbearing age | 0.4mg | 3 months before pregnancy to 3 months after pregnancy |
| History of childbearing with neural tube defects | 4-5mg | Doctor’s guidance is required for medication use |
| People with folate metabolism disorder | 0.8mg | Full pregnancy + lactation period |
3. Answers to popular questions
1.Can dietary supplements replace folic acid tablets?
Although foods such as green leafy vegetables and animal livers contain folic acid, the bioavailability of natural folic acid is only about 50%, and cooking loss reaches 50-90%. The bioavailability of medicated folic acid is 1.7 times that of natural folic acid.
2.Is there any danger in overdosing on supplements?
Long-term daily intake of more than 1 mg may mask symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency. However, the safety of conventional doses (0.4-0.8mg/day) has been verified globally. Chinese multivitamins for pregnant women usually contain 0.4-0.6mg folic acid.
3.Does the husband need a supplement?
The latest research has found that supplementing folic acid when men are preparing for pregnancy can improve sperm quality. It is recommended that expectant fathers should supplement 0.4mg daily for at least 3 months.
4. Latest research trends in 2024
Research published by Stanford University in April showed:Folic acid and vitamin B12 synergistic supplementThe effect is better than folic acid supplementation alone, which can improve fetal neurodevelopment scores by 18%. The following is a comparison of experimental group data:
| Group | incidence of neural tube defects | cognitive development score |
|---|---|---|
| Folic acid alone group | 0.7‰ | 92.3±5.6 |
| Folic acid + B12 group | 0.3‰ | 108.7±6.2 |
5. Practical suggestions
1. Recommended choicesPregnancy multivitamin with folic acid, while supplementing nutrients such as iron and calcium
2. The taking time is based onhalf an hour after breakfastBest, avoid taking it with tea/coffee
3. It is recommended to do this when creating a fileFolic acid metabolism gene testing(The cost is about 200-300 yuan)
4. Women who take birth control pills for a long time need to start supplementing 6 months in advance.
According to Taobao sales data in April, the characteristics of the top three folic acid products in terms of sales are as follows:
| Brand | Single grain content | monthly sales | price range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elevit | 0.8mg | 52,000+ | 98-158 yuan/box |
| Slian | 0.4mg | 38,000+ | 68-128 yuan/box |
| BLACKMORES | 0.5mg | 24,000+ | 150-220 yuan/bottle |
Scientific folic acid supplementation during pregnancy preparation and pregnancy is the first healthy gift to your baby. It is recommended that expectant mothers develop a personalized supplement plan under the guidance of a doctor based on their individual circumstances.
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