Low Carb Diet May Cause Birth Defects In Babies: Study

The researchers claimed that the maternal diet before and during early pregnancy plays a significant role in fetal development. What is new about the study is its suggestion that low carbohydrate intake could increase the risk of having a baby with a neural tube defect by 30 percent.

Researchers also found that dietary intake of folic acid among women with restricted carbohydrate intake were less than half of other women. Folic acid is also an essential nutrient that minimizes the risk of neural tube defects. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all women who are pregnant or are planning should take a multivitamin with at least 400 micro-grams of folic acid every day before and during pregnancy.

This makes fortified foods an important source of folic acid for women who may become pregnant.