There’s more than one reason pregnant women should take folic acid
Q WILL taking folic acid while I’m pregnant just help prevent my baby developing spina bifida, or are there other conditions it may protect against?
A DR SABRINA TOSI, a biosciences lecturer at Brunel University, who has just led a review into studies on folic acid, says: “Folic acid is well known to prevent neural tube defects in the developing foetus and for this reason alone, folic acid supplementation is highly recommended before conception and during the initial stages of pregnancy.
“However, the protective effects of folic acid extend to other organs and tissues in the human body, making sure that all cells replicate well and the genetic information is transmitted faithfully during development and organ formation.
“Beside prevention of organ malformations such as spina bifida, folic acid has an important function in tumour prevention. In conditions of folic acid deficiency, individual cells are more exposed to the risk of acquiring genetic abnormalities and if these abnormalities are not eliminated, they may lead to cancer later on.
“Although cancer in childhood is rare, it’s been shown that some cancers such as infant leukaemia originate in the womb. It’s at these very early stages that folic acid supplementation is particularly crucial, playing an important role in the wellbeing of the new individual both in the short and long term.”
Q WHEN we try to set time limits on our son’s smartphone use, we end up arguing with him. How can I curb his obsession with his phone?
AKATHARINE
HILL, UK director of Care For The Family and author of Left To Their Own Devices? Confident Parenting In A World Of Screens (Muddy Pearl, £9.99), says: “How to manage screen time is top of many parents’ concerns and trying to set and maintain boundaries can wear down even the most resistant of parents.
“Digital technology perfectly meets young people’s developmental needs, enabling them to establish their identities and connect with peers. So this isn’t a problem we’re ever going to solve; rather a tension we’ll continually need to manage.
“Setting age-appropriate boundaries for screen use, however, is important.
“Sit down together to work out a family media agreement for everyone’s screen use in the home, including yours. Your son is more likely to contribute if he feels his opinions are also being considered.
“Agree to charge smartphones downstairs when it’s bedtime.
“A truculent 15-year-old may be more challenging, but at this age it’s more to do with us, as parents, understanding the digital world is their world.”