Irish researchers have found a link between the development of neural tube defects such as Spina Bifida and low levels of vitamin B12 in women's diets.
Studies by a team from Trinity College, the Health Research Board and a US research body, found that children born to women with low levels of the vitamin shortly before and after conception have an increased risk of having such defects.
The research has been published today in the journal, Pediatrics.
The neural tube is the embryonic structure that gives rise to the spine and the brain.
Ireland has a higher rate of neural tube defects than many other countries.
It is known that folic acid, the synthetic form of the B vitamin folate, can reduce a woman's chance of having a child with a neural tube defect.
The authors of this latest study say vitamin B12 has an important influence on the way folate is used in the body.
They say their results suggest that the two vitamins are jointly involved in influencing a woman's risk.
