Reuters India, May 13, 2009
A UTMB study that found that taking folic acid supplements before conceiving may help prevent premature births continues to receive publicity. A Reuters report is widely circulated and features UTMB's Dr. Radek Bukowski. "The effect is strong, which is important," Bukowski said. The reduction in risk was greatest among women who had been taking folate for a year or longer before getting pregnant, he explained, while the preventive effects of supplementation were most powerful for preventing the earliest -- and riskiest -- preterm births.