Article Review
Scholl, Theresa and William Johnson. Folic Acid: Influence On The Outcome Of Pregnancy. The
Folic acid has considerable impact on pregnant women and the improvement of fetuses. According to Scholl and Johnson, folic acid is an extremely crucial supplement that all pregnant women require for the purposes of maintaining the well-being of the fetus during its growth and development. The article captures the importance of folic acid by noting that it prevents the fetus from developing what the authors refer to as neural tube defects, promotes healthy growth of the fetus, as well as aiding in the prevention of stillbirths that may occur due insufficient intake of folic acid by expectant women. The authors note that various neural tube defects occur due to insufficiency of folate. They observe that pregnant women from poverty-stricken areas are more likely to have unhealthy fetuses because they have limited or no access to folic acid supplements. Low folic acid intake prohibits the fetus from growing due to lack of growth by the uterus and this is more likely to cause spontaneous abortion and low birth weights in other cases. The reduction in the weight of children at birth is due to the birth of a premature baby an aspect that arises due to low folate supplement. The article goes ahead to provide quality information regarding foods that are major sources of folate such as leafy green vegetables, fortified cereals, and dried beans. This information is important for the women who are not able to access folate supplements such as the multivitamin tablets. By providing various perspectives regarding the significance of folate and the various sources of folate, the article ensures that its target audience is wide because the information is useful to every woman whether pregnant or not, and even professionals such as nurses and other caregivers.
Some of the most important attributes of folate intake among the pregnant women include aiding in sustainable cell division, which is a key factor in the proper development of the fetus, eradication or reduction of pregnancy complications, preservation of proper gestation for the fetus. The authors go on to provide detailed explanations for each of the foregoing consequences of folate intake thereby creating a better understanding of the value of folic acid and folate supplements. The detailed explanations make the information more plausible and enlightening to virtually every person.
It is important to note that the authors refer to previous studies in a bid to support its assertions. For instance, it refers the study conducted by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES II) regarding the significance of folic acid on the development of fetus. The study indicates that most women consume less foodstuffs containing folic acid and do not take any supplements for the purposes of boosting the folate in their bodies. The study consisted of pregnant and non-pregnant African American and white women every day intake of folate. The result of the study indicates that most of the pregnant women’s daily intake of folate reached the recommended levels while very few non-women reached the same folate levels daily. The article’s reference to previous researches regarding the subject of folic acid makes it scholarly in the sense that one can seek further clarifications from the sources that the authors referred to while conducting the study. Accordingly, one can use the article as a source to inform further research on the importance or otherwise of folic acid in fetal development.
Work Cited
Scholl, Theresa and William Johnson. Folic acid: influence on the outcome of pregnancy. The
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 71(5), 2000: 1295s-1303s.
