Data reveals folate during pregnancy prevents spina bifida Who did the research?
What is the real-life data impact?
University of Western Australia.
After the discovery Professor Stanley established the Telethon Kids Institute where she continued to research this topic alongside Professor Bower. Together they worked on education campaigns to encourage pregnant women to take folate supplements.
What is the project about? In 1989 Professor Fiona Stanley and colleague Professor Carol Bower used the Western Australia birth defects register to source subjects for a study of neural tube defects (NTDs). The neural tube is what forms the brain and spine in a baby. Development issues can lead to common but incurable birth defects such as spina bifida where the backbone does not close over the spinal cord properly. Measuring the folate intake of 308 mothers, the researchers discovered that mothers who take the vitamin folate during pregnancy are less likely to have babies with NTDs. The data contributed to worldwide research that found folate can reduce the likelihood of NTDs by 70 percent.
Their great success came in 2009 when the Australian Government implemented mandatory folic acid fortification of flour. The need for such legislation is now recognised by the World Health Organisation. A 2016 review conducted by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found that since the flour fortification program’s introduction, levels of NTDs have dropped by 14.4%.
Their great success came in 2009 when the Australian government implemented mandatory folic acid fortification of flour.
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