 |
Questions Raised About Fortifying Foods with Folic AcidNational Center for Education in Maternal and Child HealthMay 12, 2000 Further study of the effects of folic acid consumption is needed in light of recent calls to further increase folic acid levels in food, according to a "Sounding Board" article in the current New England Journal of Medicine. The article states that there is some evidence that "over time … the current food fortification program will prevent a substantial proportion of folate-related neural-tube defects," yet it also indicates that excessive folic acid consumption from fortified foods could become a public health concern. Because two clinical trials published in the early 1990s showed that maternal consumption of folic acid could reduce the risk of neural-tube defects in children, the Public Health Service recommended that all women capable of bearing children consume 400 mcg of folic acid daily, and the Food and Drug Administration recommended ensuring increased intake of folic acid by fortifying cereal products with the vitamin. Consuming high levels of folic acid can mask conditions such as vitamin B12 deficiency and pernicious anemia. The author identifies the following gaps in current knowledge of folic acid's effects: 1) there is "virtually no data" on the risk of neurological damage in people with vitamin B12 deficiency, and 2) "there are no ongoing studies in children of the effects of long-term exposure to several times the RDA [Recommended Daily Allowance] for folic acid." Children may be exposed to excessive amounts of folic acid because they consume large quantities of ready-to-eat cereals, which are fortified with folic acid. The author notes that the general public's consumption of foods fortified with folic acid is also a concern, because a serving of some of these foods contains more than the RDA of folic acid and as much as 200% more folic acid than the amount listed on the label. The author writes, "Given the fact that folic acid fortification is exposing 274 million people to folic acid to prevent 2000 neural-tube defects per year, it is surprising that public health officials have not demanded a higher level of proof that the current level of fortification is safe and effective." While acknowledging that "Taking supplements containing folic acid is the safest and the most effective way of preventing neural-tube defects," the author states a need for descriptive data about the consumption of folic acid and for educational efforts to encourage women of childbearing age to take supplements. Mills JL. 2000. Fortification of foods with folic acid--How much is enough? New England Journal of Medicine 342(19):1442-1445. To subscribe to the MCH Alert,
send an email message to MCHALERT@LIST.NCEMCH.ORG,
with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line. You do not need to enter any text
in the body of the message.
top |
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
