MONROE — State Representative DebraLee Hovey (R-112) has issued a reminder that at her request Governor M. Jodi Rell has declared December as Folic Acid Awareness Month.

Folic acid is a B vitamin that works to prevent numerous birth defects, but it must be taken before conception and during early pregnancy to be successful. It is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that women take a vitamin with 400 micrograms of folic acid every day, even if they are not planning a pregnancy.

The benefits of taking folic acid are remarkable and studies consistently demonstrate that if all women consumed the recommended amount of folic acid before and during early pregnancy, up to 70 percent of all neural tube disorders could be prevented.

 “I thank the governor for recognizing this important issue,” said Rep Hovey. “There is no better month to highlight Folic Acid Awareness than in December as it is the time we are filled with the joy and loving of family and what better way to celebrate family than to assure that women in our lives, both young and old, are getting the amounts of folic acid they need for healthy bodies, minds, and fetuses.”

For more details visit www.rephovey.com.