In 1998 there were just under 400 pregnancies found to be affected by a neural tube defect.

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Folic acid supplementation is already recommended to prevent neural tube defects, which are often severe malformations of the brain.

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Fumonisin also interferes with the cellular uptake of folic acid, a vitamin that is known to reduce the risk of neural tube defects in developing fetuses.

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Researchers at Boston University found evidence that mothers who were overweight before they became pregnant are at greater risk of having a child with neural tube defects, including spina bifida -- which can paralyze legs -- and anencephaly, which results in an underdeveloped brain.

CNN: Study links obesity in pregnancy to birth defects