The importance of folic acid supply to human health - Part 1: Folate and health

The dietary reference intakes for folate recommended for prevention are not met by the usual dietary habits of the major part of the German population. An adequate folate supply during early pregnancy has been shown to reduce the incidence of neural tube defects (at present about 1.5/1000 pregnancies in Germany) by 70-75 %, and terminations of pregnancies following prenatal diagnosis of these congenital malformations could be reduced to about the same degree. Initiation of folic acid supplementation after the diagnosis of pregnancy is usually too late to ensure the prevention of neural tube defects. A better and highly desirable alternative is folate supplementation of basic foods. Folate enrichment is also expected to produce further health benefits in the population at large, in particular a reduction of morbidity and mortality due to cardiovascular diseases.