Ladies get your folate.

Government health officials say blood levels of folate in young women are dropping. That could lead to increased birth defects and may be due to low-carb diets or the popularity of unfortified whole-grain breads.

A U.S. Centers for Disease Control study released Thursday found an 8 percent to 16 percent decline in folate levels in U.S. women of childbearing age, according to large blood-drawing surveys done between 1999 and 2004.

FACT

Folate is a naturally occurring B vitamin. An artificial version, which is more easily metabolized by the body, is folic acid.

BIRTH DEFECTS

Years ago, scientists concluded that folate deficiencies contributed to the occurrence of serious birth defects of the spine and brain, known as neural tube defects. Preliminary data suggest the dramatic declines in neural tube defects seen in the late 1990s may have leveled off by 2004, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.

HOW TO GET MORE FOLATE

Vitamins and supplements are the best way to get the recommended daily dose of 400 micrograms of folic acid. But only a third of women of child-bearing age take a folic acid-containing supplement every day, he said.

Eating certain foods also helps, especially breads, cereals and other products containing enriched flour.

While whole-grain breads contain natural folate, it's a smaller amount than the folic acid in enriched breads.

WHY THE DECREASE?

Increasing obesity rates among young women may be a factor. Research has found obese people metabolize folate differently than thinner folk, and some doctors believe heavier women need more folic acid to prevent neural tube defects, Green said. Diet trends may have been be another factor.

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