Study backs folate theory

By HARVEY McGAVIN


Fortifying everyday foods like flour and pasta with folic acid could significantly reduce the likelihood of babies being born with disabilities such as spina bifida.

The number of babies born with brain or spine abnormalities - known as neural tube defects - has fallen by more than three-quarters in a Canadian province since a law was introduced making it mandatory to fortify staple foods with folic acid, says a new study.

Women who take folic acid supplements while trying to conceive reduce the risks of having a baby with neural tube defects.

Britain's Food Standards Agency (FSA) advises women planning to have a baby to take a daily supplement of 400 micrograms. Some breakfast cereals and bread products have folic acid added.

The British Government decided not to make this mandatory after FSA advice two years ago that folic acid could mask a deficiency of vitamin B12, which can lead to neurological damage.

But more than 30 countries have introduced mandatory fortification of food products, leading to a fall in the number of babies born with defects.

The latest study focused on the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador where folic acid has been routinely added to all flour, cornmeal and pasta since 1998.

Researchers found the proportion of babies born with neural tube defects in the province, which historically had one of the highest rates in North America, had fallen by 78 per cent in the past six years.


Folic acid in NZ

New Zealand and Australia are considering a food standard which would add folate (the key ingredient in folic acid) and iodine to some foods, such as bread. A decision is expected next year.


- INDEPENDENT