Health Report: Apr. 20, 1998

THE GOOD NEWS

FOLATE FOR ALL A new recommendation for women of childbearing age: take a daily supplement of 400 micro-grams of folic acid, a B vitamin, to prevent birth defects. A separate study finds that eating cereal fortified with 400 mcg of folic acid can lower a man's blood levels of homocysteine, an amino acid linked to heart disease.

BAG IT Ford plans to offer side air bags on all models. That should put a dent in the 7,000 deaths from side-impact crashes each year.

ATTENTION! Though everyone seems to know a child with attention- deficit disorder, a review of...

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