Folic acid 'could prevent thousands of early births'

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Thousands of premature births could be prevented if the mothers took folic acid for at least a year before getting pregnant, doctors have found.

A major study has shown that extra supplies of the B vitamin cut the risk of premature babies by 50 to 70 per cent.

Doctors are now advising young women to add folic acid supplements to their daily diet - to get into the habit of taking it before they start planning a family.

Those in the UK hoping to become pregnant are already advised to take a 0.4mg supplement of folic acid every day after stopping contraception and for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Taking folic acid at this dose helps prevent severe brain and spinal birth defects.

But the latest study backed by the U.S. National Institutes of Health shows long spells of taking folic acid could reduce premature birth rates, including those born very early who are most at risk of dying or suffering long-term disabilities.

Premature babies are classified as those born at least three weeks early, when they have spent fewer than 37 rather than 40 weeks in the womb.

However, babies born even earlier - before 28 weeks - may be prone to medical complications, learning difficulties or other handicaps that affect their future development.

The study looked at the use of folic acid supplements by 38,000 women, all of them pregnant with one child and free of medical complications such as pre-eclampsia that may result in premature delivery.

It found folic acid supplementation for at least one year led to a 70 per cent drop in very early deliveries - between 20 and 28 weeks.

Lead researcher Dr Radek Bukowski, of the University of Texas, released the findings yesterday at the 28th Annual Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine in Dallas.