Florida Attorney General Crist Helps Launch Folic Acid Awareness Week; Distributes vitamins to underserved women of childbearing

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Florida Attorney General Crist Helps Launch Folic Acid Awareness Week; Distributes vitamins to underserved women of childbearing age

January 25, 2005 -- MIAMI BEACH – Attorney General Charlie Crist today joined with the March of Dimes to kick off Folic Acid Awareness Week by distributing vitamins to underserved women of child bearing age in Miami Beach. The distribution of these vitamins through the VitaGrant Project, funded through a $2 million grant from the Attorney General’s Office, took place at the Miami Beach Community Health Center and is part of a statewide effort.“It is gratifying to see tangible benefits coming from programs we have assisted,” said Crist. “Any program designed to prevent birth defects and enhance the health of mother and child is worthy of both public and private support. It is an honor to be part of this important program.”

Folic acid is a B-vitamin that can be found in multivitamin pills as well as naturally in foods such as orange juice, dark green leafy vegetables, or in enriched grains. The United States Public Health Service recommends that all women who could become pregnant take 400 micrograms of folic acid each day. It is estimated that 70 percent of neural tube defects could be prevented by intaking the recommended amounts of folic acid each day.

According to the March of Dimes, medical studies have found that 400 micrograms taken daily at least one month before conception and during the first few months of pregnancy can reduce the risk of having an infant born with spina bifida or anencephaly, the two most common neural tube defects.

The Florida VitaGrant is a partnership between the March of Dimes, the Florida Birth Defects Registry and the Florida Department of Health.