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TAKING folic acid before or during early pregnancy does not increase a woman’s chances of giving birth to twins, according to a study that is by far the largest of its kind.

The finding contradicts previous studies that suggested the costs of taking the vitamin might outweigh the benefits: while folic acid reduces the chances of birth defects such as spina bifida, twins are much more likely than singletons to suffer from low birthweight and cerebral palsy.

Now Robert Berry of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, and his team have studied records of 242,015 women…

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