User:Mitch Samco/sandbox

= Folate Deficiency =

Prevention and treatment
Original:

Folate is found in leafy green vegetables and organ meats. When cooking, use of steaming, a food steamer, or a microwave oven can help keep more folate content in the cooked foods, thus helping to prevent folate deficiency.

Multi-vitamin dietary supplements contain folic acid as well as other B vitamins. Non-prescription folic acid is available as a dietary supplement in some countries, and some countries require the fortification of wheat flour, corn meal or rice with folic acid with the intention of promoting public health through increasing blood folate levels in the populace. After the discovery of the link between insufficient folic acid and neural tube defects, governments and health organizations worldwide made recommendations concerning folic acid supplementation for women intending to become pregnant. Because the neural tube closes in the first four weeks of gestation, often before many women even know they are pregnant, many countries in time decided to implement mandatory food fortification programs. A meta-analysis of global birth prevalence of spina bifida showed that when mandatory fortification was compared to countries with healthcare professionals advising women but no mandatory fortification program, there was a 30% reduction in live births with spina bifida, with some countries reported a greater than 50% reduction.

My version:

Bolded and italicized is my input

Diet
Folate is acquired in the diet by the consumption of leafy green vegetables, legumes, and organ meats. When cooking, use of steaming, a food steamer, or a microwave oven can help keep more folate content in the cooked foods, thus helping to prevent folate deficiency.

Supplements
Folic acid is a synthetic derivative of folate and is acquired by dietary supplementation. Non-prescription folic acid is available as a dietary supplement in some countries. It is advised for all women who are trying to get pregnant to incorporate folic acid supplementation into their routine.

Fortification
Over 80 countries require folic acid fortification in some foods. After the discovery of the link between insufficient folic acid and neural tube defects, governments and health organizations worldwide made recommendations concerning folic acid supplementation for women intending to become pregnant. Because the neural tube closes in the first four weeks of gestation, often before many women even know they are pregnant, many countries in time decided to implement mandatory food fortification programs. A meta-analysis of global birth prevalence of spina bifida showed that when mandatory fortification was compared to countries with healthcare professionals advising women but no mandatory fortification program, there was a 30% reduction in live births with spina bifida, with some countries reported a greater than 50% reduction.

'Fortification of rice is common due to its worldwide consumption. The USDA has required the fortification of flour since 1998. Since then, Hispanics in the United States have seen the greatest reduction of occurrences of neural tube defects. Canada has also mandated folic acid fortification in its flour since 1998 which has resulting in a 42% decrease in neural tube defects. Fortification of wheat and corn flour, milk, and rice is required in Costa Rica which has led to the greatest documented reduction of neural tube defects of as much as 60%. '

Pregnancy
'Folate deficiency can occur during pregnancy as a result of the increasing number of cells of a growing fetus. Deficiency during pregnancy can also occur as a result of decreased absorption and intake, maternal hormones that mediate its metabolism, vascular circulation of maternal and fetal blood, and increasing amount of blood resulting in dilution. Sickle cell anemia and residing in areas of malaria result in even higher folate needs for women who are pregnant. When supplemented with 450 micrograms of folic acid per day, the risk of developing birth defects, specifically neural tube defects, is decreased. Supplementation to prevent birth defects is most effective one month prior to conception and for the duration of gestation, especially during the first twelve weeks. Utilization of folic acid supplementations before conception has shown to result in a decrease in neural tube defects by 70%. '