MSNBC.com has an article titled “Could low-carb diets lead to birth defects?” The interesting thing about the article is that it is lack of folate that can lead to birth defects. Many breads and cereals are fortified with folate. Thus, if you are a pregnant woman who does not eat folate fortified foods then birth defects could arise.
However, there is no study saying that low-carb diets lead to more birth defects. Someone made a speculation and MSNBC used that speculation as a headline. Might it be better if they highlighted that pregnant woman need to get their folate (especially those not eating folate fortified foods)?