Folic acid, or vitamin B9, is an essential nutrient that every woman should take whether she’s planning to get pregnant or not.
If you’re planning to become pregnant, you already know how important a healthy diet, exercise and getting plenty of sleep are,
but one of the most important ways to ensure a healthy pregnancy is to get enough folic acid prior to conception.
Folic acid, the synthetic form of folate or Vitamin B9, is one of many super-star nutrients that our bodies need to run on all
cylinders. Everyday new cells are rapidly reproducing in every organ of our bodies but without folic acid, none of it would
happen.
“Folic acid has a very important role in making those cell reproductions possible and happen in an efficient manner,” Tama Bloch,
RDN, a pediatric research scientist with Abbott says.
During pregnancy, folic acid becomes even more important because of its role in the prevention of neural tube defects (NTDs).