Invited Comments.(ngenital neuronal tube defect due to folic acid)

Byline: Zoltan. Szolnoki

A strong association has been suggested between the folic acid level and the occurrence of a congenital neuronal tube defect.[1] Various epidemiological studies have confirmed the presumption that periconceptional folic acid supplementation can reduce the frequency of such a defect.[2] This has led to the introduction of an extensive program of prevention in the United States, in which cereal food productions are fortified with folic acid.

There are several other aspects of the daily folic acid intake in adults, which can influence the homocysteine level,[3],[4] a high homocysteine level being a strong predictor of death in patients with coronary artery disease.[5] A paper published in this issue of the journal raises the importance of folic acid intake on the basis of genotype against ischaemic stroke too.[6]

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