https://www.gosh.nhs.uk/our-research/our-research-infrastructure/nihr-great-ormond-street-hospital-brc/brc-news/prevention-neural-tube-defects-women-taking-additional-supplements/
Prevention of neural tube defects in women taking additional supplements
22 Mar 2016, 2:57 p.m.

BRC-supported researchers Professors Andrew Copp and Nicholas Greene have led research which suggests that women who are at risk of having children with neural tube defects such as spina bifida may be able to reduce this risk by taking inositol (Vitamin B8) as well as folic acid during pregnancy.The study involved 99 women who had previously had a pregnancy affected by a neural tube defect, and who were planning on becoming pregnant within the next year. Half of these women agreed to be randomly assigned to one of two groups; one group were instructed to take 5 mg of Folic acid each day and a placebo, and the second group were instructed to take 5 mg of Folic acid plus 1 mg of Inositol daily. Among the women who chose not be randomised, many decided to take folic acid and inositol in their next pregnancy.
Overall, fifty-seven of the women became pregnant during the study period. Results showed that none of the women taking both inositol and folic acid had pregnancies with a neural tube defect, compared to three of those who took only folic acid.
This research suggests that for those women for whom folic acid supplements are not sufficient to prevent a neural tube defect, taking inositol in addition to folic acid, may provide greater protection. A larger-scale study is now needed in order to in order to confirm the beneficial effects of inositol.
The findings were published in the British Journal of Nutrition, and received media coverage from a number of different sources including the BBC.

What do bush babies, tamarin monkeys, and mouse lemurs have that humans don’t?
GOSH imaging researchers have worked with teams in Harvard in the USA to work out how and when our pelvises developed to be different from other animals.

Nanodiamonds and hormones used in rare condition to promote lung growth
An international research team led by GOSH, UCL and KU Leuven in Belgium, is using 3D-printing and nanodiamonds, to design treatments that could help babies repair their damaged lungs in the womb.

New national registry for inherited hearing loss
A new national registry is helping researchers understand more about inherited hearing loss – and could help bring about new treatments.

Stem cell treatment can improve rare skin condition in children
Children with a rare skin condition have found their symptoms have improved through taking part in the largest clinical trial of its kind, led by clinicians at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH).