Kat Keough, fertility and prenatal nutritionist for Ovitae, dubunks the harmful myths around folic acid versus folate supplementation

Kat Keough, the fertility and prenatal nutritionist at leading prenatal supplement company, Ovitae, is becoming increasingly concerned about the dangerous commentary that is swirling through the media and mainstream conversations in regards to folic acid and folate. She is committed to rewriting the discourse and educating hopeful and expecting parents by debunking the harmful myths around folic acid and folate.

“Folic acid is one of the most important vitamins to take during pregnancy. Getting the right amount of folic acid reduces the risk of your baby developing neural tube defects, including spina bifida and birth defects, as well as cleft lip and cleft palate. It also helps you and your baby to produce red blood cells and reduces your risk of preeclampsia during pregnancy,” Keough said.

“It is critical to understand that folic acid is the only form of folate supplement that has been through full medical clinical trials. Other folate supplements do not meet the benchmark set by governments across the world and the Australian Therapeutic Goods Association (TGA) to claim that they prevent neural tube defects. Scarily, a number of proponents of supplemental folate are pushing a narrative that has…