§ Dr. GibsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health when the most recent National Diet and Nutrition Survey was published; what percentage of women aged 35 to 49 it found had a total daily folic acid intake of less than 400 microgrammes; and what his Department's recommended total daily folic acid intake is from(a) the normal diet and (b) supplemental sources for women in that age group. [137053]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe latest National Diet and Nutrition Survey, published in July 2003, showed that 84 per cent. of women aged 35 to 49 had folate intakes below 400 micrograms per day. The recommended intake for folate from diet for these women is 200 micrograms per day. The Department recommends that all women planning a pregnancy should take 335W 400 micrograms per day of folic acid (a synthetic form of folate) as a daily supplement to reduce the risk of neural tube defects.