Doctors want new guidelines for iron and folic acid supplements.

"Current guidelines for universal supplementation with iron and folic acid should be revised," says Professor Robert Black, of Johns Hopkins University in a report in The Lancet medical journal

Doctors want new guidelines for iron and folic acid supplements.

"Current guidelines for universal supplementation with iron and folic acid should be revised," says Professor Robert Black, of Johns Hopkins University in a report in The Lancet medical journal

The latest survey from the March of Dimes finds only one-third of women of child-bearing age are taking a multivitamin daily that contains folic acid, a vitamin that can prevent serious birth defects of the brain and spine.

The supplement is so essential the U.S. government requires all enriched grain foods to be fortified with 140 micrograms of folic acid per 100 grams of grain

The latest survey from the March of Dimes finds only one-third of women of child-bearing age are taking a multivitamin daily that contains folic acid, a vitamin that can prevent serious birth defects of the brain and spine.

The supplement is so essential that the U.S. government requires all enriched grain foods to be fortified with 140 micrograms of folic acid per 100 grams of grain