This question isn't about breastfeeding, but since many of you have
childbirth education experience, I thought I'd try to tap into that knowledge.

One of the nurses delivering the prenatal nutrition program I'm involved
with has had a question from a concerned mother regarding folic acid in
prenatal vitamin supplements. This mother says she heard on a TV show
(either CBC or CFRN here in Alberta) that the folic acid portion in Materna
vitamins can CAUSE neural tube defects. Have any of you heard anything like
this, or did the mother perhaps get the information messed up? The nurse is
worried because she knows this mum won't take the supplement until she hears
definitely that it is OK.

Just this morning I read the following in the Harvard Health Letter, Jan/96
and wonder if a news service picked this up and it's what she heard:
"The U.S. Public Health Service advises women of childbearing age to take
400 mcg per day to prevent neural tube defects in developing fetuses. (The
current RDA for women is 180 mcg.) There is also evidence that this
nutrient, alone with B6 and B12, lowers blood levels of homocysteine, an
amino acid associated with an increased risk of heart disease.
"Because the average American intake is 200 mcg (the current RDA for men),
many experts recommend taking a multivitamin supplement, which usually
contains 400 mcg of folic acid. At levels exceeding 1 mg (1000 mcg) per day,
however, folate may mask the symptoms of pernicious anemia, a condition
associated with a B12 deficiency that can cause serious neurologic damage."

This mother was quite definite that the brand name Materna was mentioned
(don't know if this is a Canadian brand only) and that the folic acid
content could somehow cause the defects. If any of you have any information
on this, I'd appreciate it. The nurse involved contacted the TV stations to
confirm the broadcast but hasn't had any luck yet.

Please email me your answers because I'm so far behind reading Digests I may
never find the reply! (Feel free to also post it to Lactnet for others.)
Leslie Ayre-Jaschke, BEd, IBCLC
Peace River Breastfeeding Clinic
Peace River Alberta, Canada