News for Healthier Living

How Folic Acid Protects the Developing Brain and Spinal Cord Revealed in New Study

For decades, we've known that folic acid can help prevent serious birth defects of the brain and spinal cord, but we haven't fully understood how it does it. This study reveals a surprising missing piece: folic acid appears to work with an enzyme called ALDH1L1, which helps the developing embryo make retinoic acid, a vitamin A-derived signal needed for the nervous system to form properly.

August 11, 2026


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