Brain Rules for Baby (John Medina) / quote 4 of 91
Folic acid and the neural tube
It’s vital that this neural tube develop properly. If it doesn’t, the baby could have a protruding spinal cord or a tumor near his lower back, a condition known as spina bifida. Or the baby could grow without a complete head, a rare condition known as anencephaly. This is why every pregnancy book strongly recommends taking the B-complex vitamin folic acid: It helps shape the proper neural tube—both the near and far ends. Women who take folic acid around conception and during the first few weeks of pregnancy are 76 percent less likely to create a fetus with neural tube defects than those who don’t take the supplement. It is the first thing you can do to aid brain development.