Daily Vitamins Are A Resolution To Keep For Life

If you resolved to improve your health this year, taking a daily multivitamin is a good way to keep that promise, especially if you’re a woman of childbearing age. January 8 through 14 is National Folic Acid Awareness Week and an ideal time to make this important and affordable health commitment.

“By taking a daily multivitamin, women are giving Tennessee’s babies the best possible start. I ask that all women of childbearing age take this simple step to improve health for life for our babies,” said Governor Phil Bredesen. “Far too many babies don’t live to see their first birthday in Tennessee, and simple steps like these are part of our plan to reduce infant mortality and improve birth outcomes in our state.”

The Tennessee Department of Health and other health organizations have long recommended that most women take a multivitamin along with eating a varied, healthy diet. Studies suggest multivitamins may reduce the risk for some cancers, heart disease and stroke. For women, taking a multivitamin with 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid dramatically reduces the risk for serious birth defects of the brain and spine called neural tube defects (NTD). Tennessee residents gave birth to almost 200 babies with spina bifida or anencephaly, the two most common NTDs, between 1999 and 2003, according to the Tennessee Birth Defects Registry.

“Neural tube defects occur very early in pregnancy – before most women even know they are pregnant. For women capable of becoming pregnant, taking a multivitamin every day makes good sense, whether planning to have a baby or not,” said Health Commissioner Kenneth S. Robinson, M.D.

Surveys by the Gallup Organization for the March of Dimes indicate that many women forget to take a daily vitamin. Only one third of women ages 18 to 45 said they take a vitamin containing folic acid on a daily basis, according to their 2005 survey. The Tennessee Department of Health offers suggestions to including more folic acid and other essential vitamins and minerals in your daily routine:

• Look for multivitamins that contain 400 mcg folic acid.
• Place the bottle where you will see it – on the kitchen counter, with your toothbrush or at your desk.
• Take them with one of your daily meals. This is another way to make them part of your everyday routine and may make them easier to digest.
• Buy chewable vitamins if you have trouble swallowing pills.
• Buy breakfast cereal fortified with 100 percent of the Daily Value (DV) for folic acid and other nutrients in each serving. Check the nutrition label.
• Consume enriched breads, pastas and grains; dried beans and peas; orange juice, oranges, cantaloupe, avocados, green leafy vegetables, broccoli, lima beans, nuts and peanut butter for other sources of folic acid.
• Visit www.mypyramid.gov for your personalized guide to healthy eating.
• For health and lifestyle information for women, go to www.4woman.gov
• For general information on the state’s infant mortality prevention campaign, “1 For All,” visit www.tn.gov/health/infantmortality.

“Remember that a multivitamin is a supplement, not a substitute for a healthy diet. Along with a balanced diet and regular exercise, multivitamins are a good way to promote good health,” Robinson said.

The Tennessee Folic Acid Council, a collaboration of the Tennessee Chapter of the March of Dimes and the Tennessee Department of Health, is committed to promoting the consumption of folic acid for the prevention of birth defects. The Council provides education and advocacy regarding the benefits of folic acid to the general public, health care providers and local policymakers to reduce the incidence of preventable neural tube defects. For more information about folic acid and National Folic Acid Awareness Week, visit the Tennessee Folic Acid Council’s Web site at www.folicacidtn.com or the National Council on Folic Acid at www.folicacidinfo.org.