Diet intake and vitamin supplement use of Hungarian women during the preconceptional period.

The Hungarian participation in the establishment of the new primary prevention of neural-tube defects by periconceptional supplementation with multivitamins including folic acid or with folic acid alone has been significant. Food and supplement consumption during the preconceptional period are hypothesized to closely reflect intakes during the time of neural-tube development, i.e., between the 15th and 28th day postconception. A daily personal diary of food intake during one month of the preconceptional period was evaluated and the data on vitamin supplement use were obtained by interview. In Hungary, folic acid (158.5 micrograms/day) in the normal diet does not seem to be sufficient to reduce the risk of neural-tube defects. The women who used multivitamin supplements routinely in the preconceptional period were not attempting to prevent neural-tube defects as no women took single folic acid supplement in the study.