Folate way to what comes

Too few women seem to know about the benefits of folate, reports KATHERINE HOBY.

Women are not being told enough about the benefits of the naturally occurring vitamin folate, says the New Zealand charity CCS.

It is so concerned the message is not getting through that it has organised a national awareness day this Wednesday.

A lot of research is taking place into the role of folate in decreasing the risk of cancers, strokes and cardiovascular disorders.

Folate is also important for healthy cell growth and development, particularly in babies in the early months of pregnancy.

It occurs naturally in foods such as yoghurt, green vegetables and orange juice. The synthetic form - folic acid - can be taken in the form of vitamin supplements.

CCS national president Lyall Thurston says it is frustrating that good research on folate is not being supplied, especially to women.

"We can conclude that women are not being told about folate by the Ministry of Health or their GP - and that is not good enough," he says.

Research data on folate has been available for a decade, he says, "and yet New Zealand still fails to act to ensure women are informed of folate and its benefits".

International research since 1991 has conclusively established that a woman taking 400mcg of folic acid a day one month before and three months after conception will reduce by up to 70 per cent the risk of her having a baby with a neural tube defect.

The most common neural tube defect is spina bifida, which occurs when the brain and spinal cord fail to form completely. Ninety-five per cent of babies with spina bifida also have hydrocephalus (fluid on the brain).

Another form of neural tube defect is anencephaly, when the brain fails to develop and the baby is either stillborn or lives only for a short time after birth.

A world authority on folate, Dr Godfrey P. Oakley of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, says "one of the most exciting medical findings of the last part of the 20th century is that folic acid, a simple, widely available vitamin, can prevent spina bifida and anencephaly.

"Not since the rubella vaccine became available 30 years ago have we had a comparable opportunity for primary prevention of such common and serious birth defects."

An ACNielsen survey in 1999 of 270 women aged 18 to 35 showed that 53 per cent of women did not know about folate or its role.

A survey now under way indicates similar low levels of awareness. However, those who had heard of it were aware of the link between folate and neural tube defects.

Mr Thurston says more than 50 babies are born with the defects in New Zealand every year. The majority of cases could be avoided by women taking the B-group vitamin.

"It is urgent for all women of reproductive age in New Zealand to increase their consumption of folate and folic acid," he says.

Because of the high level of unplanned pregnancies in NZ - over 50 per cent - folate needed to become part of the everyday diet.

Mr Thurston says there is low general awareness of the benefits of folate, folate-rich foods and the need to include folate in daily diet.

Folate is not just for women, he says. Men were missing out on the benefits, because people no longer had balanced diets in today's busy society.

Folate was beneficial to general health, particularly as it had been shown to reduce homocysteine levels in blood. At high levels, homocysteine can be a risk for heart disease and other vascular disorders.

Researchers have also associated low levels of folic acid in the blood with other health problems, including Alzheimer's disease, depression and colon, breast and other cancers.

* New Zealand CCS Folate Awareness Day is on Wednesday. The Medical Association, the Family Planning Association, the College of Midwives, Plunket, the Paediatric Society and the National Council of Women are supporting it.

Folate fact file

* Folate is a naturally occurring, water soluble, B-group vitamin that is important for healthy cell growth and development, particularly in early pregnancy.

* It is found in foods such as breakfast cereals, wholegrain breads, orange juice, green vegetables, eggs, fruit, yoghurt, nuts and baked beans.

* The synthetic form of folate is folic acid. It is available in tablet form or in vitamin supplements.

* Women taking at least 400mcg of folate every day one month before and three months after conception will reduce by up to 70 per cent the risk of having a baby with a neural tube defect (a developmental failure affecting the spinal cord or brain in the embryo).

* New Zealand women have an average daily folate intake of 212mcg (1997 New Zealand Nutrition survey).

* More than 50 per cent of pregnancies in New Zealand are unplanned. Consequently, folate intake needs to be part of the everyday diet.

* Folate is good for everybody. Research is continuing into the role of folate in decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disorders and other conditions including cancers, strokes and Alzheimer's disease.

* Eight folate-rich foods are cereals, orange juice, kiwifruit, eggs, green vegetables, wholegrain breads, legumes and avocado.

* Information supplied by New Zealand CCS.