May Help Reduce Risk of Serious Birth Defects
Vitamin B12 is a vital nutrient for healthy brain development. Deficiency can lead to serious congenital disabilities and developmental delays. Based on a study released in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, women who consumed more than 4 milligrams of vitamin B12 daily were more unlikely to have a baby with a neural tube defect like spina bifida than those who consumed less than 2 milligrams per day. To decrease the likelihood of having a baby with a major brain or spinal cord abnormality, mothers should take enough vitamin B12 before getting pregnant.
Birth abnormalities affecting the brain, spine, or spinal cord are called neural tube defects. They occur during the first month of pregnancy, usually before the woman even realizes she is expecting. Spina bifida and anencephaly are the most prevalent neural tube abnormalities.
The fetal spinal column does not completely shut in spina bifida. Usually, nerve injury results in at least partial paralysis of the legs. The majority of the brain and skull do not develop in anencephaly. Anencephalic infants typically have stillbirths or pass away soon after delivery. The Chiari malformation is a different kind of abnormality, resulting in the brain tissue extending into the spinal canal.
