Every year roughly 6% of the world’s babies are born with birth defects.
That’s 7.9 million babies globally, born with some sort of condition.
World Birth Defects Day was commemorated on Tuesday and serves to highlight the importance of health and nutrition during pregnancy – and the steps that can be put in place to minimise the risk of a birth defect.
In sharing what is already known about birth defects, health experts hope to reduce the number of babies born with congenital anomalies.
The most common are said to be heart defects, neural tube defects and Down syndrome.
Of the neural tube defects, the most common is spina bifida, which is where the neural tube fails to close completely.
This can occur anywhere along the spine and can result in damage to the spinal cord or nerves as the backbone, which protects the spinal cord, does not form or close as it should.
The most serious neural tube defect is anencephaly, which is when a baby is born without part of his or her skull and brain.
While not all neural tube defects can be prevented, some can, simply by the mother-to-be taking the relevant pregnancyspecific vitamins and minerals, and the importance of taking Folate (folic acid) both before and
during pregnancy should never be overlooked.
According to experts, there is overwhelming scientific evidence linking the increased intake of synthetic folic acid to a reduced risk of neural tube defects.
Taking folic acid during early stages of pregnancy is critical in red blood cell formation, and for healthy cell growth and function.
This, in turn, reduces the risk of birth defects of the brain and spine.
Research has shown that at least half of the neural tube defect cases could have been prevented if women consumed sufficient folic acid before conception and during early pregnancy.
In fact, consuming at least 400 micrograms of folic acid each day could reduce certain birth defects relating to the brain and spine by up to 70%.
As well as in tablet form, folate is found in certain foods such as beans, peas, nuts, oranges, lemons, bananas, melons and strawberries.
Some pastas and cereals also contain folic acid. While not every birth defect can be prevented, putting measures in
place such as eating a healthy diet and supplementing the diet with vitamins and minerals, specifically folic acid, can easily be done.
As the world attempts to educate in the prevention and minimisation of birth defects, the onus is on all mothers-to-be to do what they can to safeguard their child before it is born.
