There is neither a single cause of<unk>  nor any known way to prevent it entirely. However, dietary supplementation with folic acid has been shown to be helpful in reducing the incidence of<unk> . Sources of folic acid include whole grains, fortified breakfast cereals, dried beans, leaf vegetables and fruits. However it is difficult for women to get the recommended 400 micrograms of folic acid a day from unfortified foods. Globally, fortified wheat flour is credited with preventing 50 thousand neural tube birth defects like<unk>  a year, but 230,000 could be prevented every year through this strategy. Folate fortification of enriched grain products has been mandatory in the United States since 1998. This prevents an estimated 600 to 700 incidents of<unk>  a year in the U.S. and saves $400 - $600 million in healthcare expenses. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Public Health Agency of Canada and the UK Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) recommended amount of folic acid for women of childbearing age and women planning to become pregnant is at least 0.4 mg/day of folic acid from at least three months before conception, and continued for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Women who have already had a baby with<unk>  or other type of neural tube defect, or are taking anticonvulsant medication, should take a higher dose of 4–5 mg/day. Certain mutations in the gene VANGL1 have been linked with<unk>  in some families with a history of the condition.
Spina bifida
Teratoma
Hydranencephaly
Anencephaly
Lissencephaly
Exencephaly
Schizencephaly
Cranioschisis