Folic acid is in the news this week. The Scottish Spina Bifida Association is suggesting that women of childbearing age should take a folic acid supplement for three months before they try to conceive. They believe this could cut the risk of an embryo developing spina bifida by 75 per cent.

But what is folic acid and how does it work? In its natural form, folate and vitamin B12 are needed to produce DNA and RNA, which form part of every cell in the body. If you’ve been using the contraceptive pill, it can take three months for your body to regain adequate folate levels for pregnancy. So you can see it’s vital for healthy foetal development.

The Food Standards Agency and the Department of Health recommend that you take 400 micrograms a day of folic acid for three months before conception and on into the 12^th week of pregnancy - we recommend you take a multi-vitamin and mineral that contains this level of folic acid. You should also eat folate-rich foods like dark green leafy and root vegetables, broccoli, whole grains, pulses, avocado, organic meat and fish.

Read the news story here.