Folate is a vitamin important in growth and development. Everyone needs folate, but it is especially important for women to get enough of it during the early stages of pregnancy to help reduce the risk of foetal brain and spinal cord abnormalities such as spina bifida. In this podcast, I look at the key roles of folate in the body, explain how it helps prevent birth defects and the key dietary and supplement sources of it.Links referred to in the podcastImpact of folic acid fortification on NTD incidence in Australia https://researchimpact.uwa.edu.au/research-impact-stories/folate-fortification-reduces-neural-tube-defectsPre- and post-folic acid fortification and colorectal cancer incidence https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3173023Episode transcriptTo access the full episode transcript, go to the following link and select the individual podcast episode and then click on the ‘Transcript’ tab https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.comConnect with meInstagram: doctimcroweFacebook: Thinking NutritionTwitter: CroweTim