US study shows that folic acid fortification decreases neural tube defects

Key Points

• Neural tube defects have significantly decreased since implementing folic acid fortification in the US—showing a positive public health outcome.
• Folic acid fortification has reduced neural tube defects by up to 25% across various regions in the US, indicating its efficacy.
• This analysis used national health records to assess the impact of folic acid on neural tube defects over several years.
• These findings emphasize the ongoing need for folic acid fortification as a key preventative measure in public health.