Neural tube defects such as spina bifida are caused by the deficiency of which nutrient?

Neural tube defects such as spina bifida are caused by the deficiency of which nutrient?

• A. Folate
• B. Vitamin B6
• C. Vitamin C
• D. Vitamin E

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that neural tube formation relies on rapid cell division and DNA synthesis in early embryonic development, and folate provides the one-carbon units needed for making DNA and regulating gene expression. When folate is deficient around the time of conception and early pregnancy, this process can falter, leading to neural tube defects like spina bifida. That’s why folate supplementation before and during early pregnancy significantly lowers the risk. The other vitamins don’t have as direct a link to neural tube closure in the same way folate does.

The key idea is that neural tube formation relies on rapid cell division and DNA synthesis in early embryonic development, and folate provides the one-carbon units needed for making DNA and regulating gene expression. When folate is deficient around the time of conception and early pregnancy, this process can falter, leading to neural tube defects like spina bifida. That’s why folate supplementation before and during early pregnancy significantly lowers the risk. The other vitamins don’t have as direct a link to neural tube closure in the same way folate does.