The recent study results published in January's issue of "The Annals of Internal Medicine" finds that taking folic acid may actually help decelerate the normal hearing loss process that occurs in the elderly.

The study was conducted by European researchers who provided a group of elderly participants with folic acid supplements to compare with another group who were not taking the supplements, but were given a placebo instead

According to a report published in the American Journal of Public Health, Americans are not consuming enough folic acid, a B vitamin critical in preventing serious birth defects of the spinal cord and brain and may also protect against heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

Despite the fact that the Food and Drug Administration mandated folic acid fortification in U.S. grain products such as enriched white rice in 1998 in an attempt to help prevent birth defects many are not getting enough of the life saving vitamin

Flour and bread should be fortified with folic acid to lessen the risk of birth defects such as spina bifida, the Expert Advisory Group on Nutrition said Monday. The group recommends that fortification be mandatory, but some say the initiative would take away individual choice and could mask signs of vitamin deficiency in elderly people.

Now the Food Standards Agency (FSA) will begin a 3-month consultation to see how the public feels about the issue

According to a new study, thin or skinny women who get pregnant are 72 percent more likely to miscarry in the first three months of pregnancy than their normal weight counterparts. However, the risk can be reduced up to 50 percent by eating the right food or taking multivitamins like folic acid, say researchers.

The researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine carried out their study on 603 British women aged 18 to 55 who had miscarried within three months of getting pregnant

A recent study conducted by researchers from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research reveals that eating green, leafy vegetables such as spinach may help in preventing skin cancer.

The study, involving 1,000 people, found that eating at least three servings of leafy vegetables a week reduced the risk of skin cancer up to 55 percent