VitaTrack Folate Tracker App Aims to Help Prevent Spina Bifida

[Maura]

We all love our iPhones, iPads and iPod touches for cool fun things like playing games, but they can also be used to do good and to help people. For example, the VitaTrack Folate Tracker is a new free app launched today by VitaPath Genetics, the Spina Bifida Association and the National Council on Folic Acid, which enables women to track their daily intake of folate and folic acid. This is very important for pregnant women to do, as maintaining an adequate level of folic acid prior to and during pregnancy can reduce the risk of serious birth defects, such as Spina Bifida, by up to 70 percent. Studies show that folic acid may also help prevent congenital heart disease, pre-term labour and cleft lip and palate.

The app has been designed specifically for the iPhone, with the intention of helping women ensure that they are consuming the recommended amount of daily folic acid before becoming pregnant. Users can enter the food eaten each day by selecting from more than 8,000 diverse menu items and portion sizes to calculate their folic acid intake. Here's Lee Kao, MD, PhD, a board-certified Obstetrician/Gynecologist and a Reproductive Endocrinology Infertility specialist in practice at Laurel Fertility Care in San Francisco, talking about the app:

“This application is a great way for women who are considering pregnancy to assess whether or not they are getting an adequate level of folate in their diet. In many cases, women will discover that they are far below their recommended intake and should consult their doctor about folic acid supplementation before becoming pregnant.”

The VitaTrack Folate Tracker app is available now to download for free from the Apple iTunes App Store, and you can click on the link below for more information.
Source: VitaTrack