Vitamin B12 deficiency linked to birth defects

Women with low levels of vitamin B12 have up to five times the normal risk of having a baby with a major birth defect, new research shows.

Now researchers are reporting that women who have low vitamin B12 levels shortly before and after they get pregnant are at significantly greater risk of delivering a child with a neural-tube defect.

Vegans and women who eat little or no meat, fish, eggs, milk or cheese are at the highest risk, as are women with stomach or intestinal problems, including inflammatory bowel disease, that keep them from absorbing enough B12.

The vitamin is important for healthy nerve cells and red blood cells. It's also needed to help make DNA.