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Adding folic acid to bread flour could prevent countless family tragedies Adding folic acid to bread flour could prevent countless family tragedies
(5 months later)
Adding stuff to food Adding stuff to food is by no means a new idea. We shudder when we hear stories of the Victorians adding boracic acid to milk so it would keep longer, or unscrupulous bakers adding chalk and alum to their loaves to bulk them out and make them look whiter. These additives were intended to add a little convenience for the modern Victorian home and boost profits for the seller, respectively. Never mind that they might also have increased the already desperate child mortality rate.
is by no means a new idea. We shudder when we hear stories of the But it was soon recognised that adding micronutrients to food might be a good thing. In the early 20th century Michigan became the first state in the US to introduce a public health campaign for adding dietary iodine to salt, and as a result cases of goitre dropped dramatically. The adding of synthetic vitamin D to milk in the 1920s helped to reduce cases of rickets, and in 1956 the UK introduced a law for all flour to be fortified with a minimum amount of calcium, iron, thiamin and nicotinic acid.
Victorians adding boracic acid to milk so it would keep longer, The World Health Organistation and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN define fortification as “the practice of deliberately increasing content of an essential micronutrient in a food, so as to improve the nutritional quality of the food supply and provide a public health benefit with a minimal risk to health”.
or unscrupulous bakers adding chalk and alum to their loaves to bulk It has been estimated that more than two billion people worldwide suffer from micronutrient deficiencies, and the neural tube defect spina bifida is one of the nastiest. Spina bifida is a condition originating in the first month of life, when the spinal column does not fully close in the developing foetus. In its worst form, myelomeningocele, spina bifida affects about one in 1,000 pregnancies and can lead to paralysis, incontinence and loss of skin sensation.
them out and make them look whiter. These additives were intended to add a little convenience for the modern Victorian home and boost profits for the seller, respectively. Never mind that they As epidemiologists we're always careful not to say that one factor “causes” a health problem, but there is a strong correlation between spina bifida in the developing foetus and a lack of the micronutrient folic acid in the mother.
might also have increased the already desperate child mortality Folic acid is one of the B vitamins, and seems to help women in particular to grow healthy new cells. Women planning to get pregnant have long been advised to take folic acid up to and including the first weeks after conception, but of course not everyone plans a pregnancy. You may not even find out your bundle of joy is awaiting its entrance into the world until that vital time in development is over.
rate. Why not make sure women are getting an extra dose of folic acid anyway by adding it to flour? Fifty countries already do this – though no members of the European Union, yet.
But it was soon In the House of Lords on Wednesday, Labour peer Lord Rooker asked when the UK government would make up its mind about whether to fortify bread flour with folic acid, and was told a decision would be made by Easter.
recognised that adding micronutrients to food might be a good The government is awaiting the data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey, which has sent blood samples to the USA to measure folate levels in a representative section of the British population. Quite why these samples had to go to the US to be tested we have not been told, but it seems slightly ironic because the US has been adding folic acid to flour since 1998 – on the recommendation of the UK's Medical Research Council.
thing. In the early 20th century Michigan The wait for a decision seems a long one for many. Lord Rooker pointed out in the Lords debate that every week in England and Wales three babies are born with spina bifida and another 13 pregnancies terminated when a neural tube defect is discovered. He estimates that 66% of these family tragedies could be avoided by the simple, cheap public health intervention of adding folic acid to flour in the same way we already add other micronutrients.
became the first state in the US to introduce a There are concerns, of course. The main worry about people eating enriched flour in their morning toast is that folic acid can mask the signs of vitamin B12 deficiency, and B12 deficiency can eventually cause nerve damage. This is particularly an issue with older people, because vitamin B12 becomes harder to absorb with age. But as with most public health interventions, we hope a careful analysis of the pros and cons is being undertaken.
public health campaign for adding dietary iodine to salt, and as a We can worry about how our food is being adulterated with “nasty chemicals” all we like, but the simple fact is that adding micronutrients to food can lead to long-lasting improvements in our health and that of our children. If the government decides to add folic acid to flour, it may prevent countless family tragedies.
result cases of goitre dropped dramatically. The adding of synthetic
vitamin D to milk in the 1920s helped to reduce cases of rickets, and
in
1956 the UK introduced a law for all flour to
be fortified with a minimum amount of calcium, iron, thiamin and
nicotinic acid.
The World Health
Organistation and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN
define fortification as “the
practice of deliberately increasing content of an essential
micronutrient in a food, so as to improve the nutritional quality of
the food supply and provide a public health benefit with a minimal
risk to health”.
It has
been estimated that more than two billion people worldwide suffer from
micronutrient deficiencies, and the neural tube defect spina
bifida is
one of the nastiest. Spina bifida is a condition originating in the first
month of life, when the spinal column does not fully close in the
developing foetus. In its worst form, myelomeningocele, spina bifida
affects about one in 1,000 pregnancies and can lead to paralysis,
incontinence and loss of skin sensation.
As
epidemiologists we're always careful not to say that one factor
“causes” a health problem, but there is
a strong correlation between spina bifida in the developing foetus
and a lack of the micronutrient folic
acid in
the mother.
Folic acid is one of the B vitamins, and seems to help women in
particular to grow healthy new cells. Women
planning to get pregnant have long been advised to take folic acid up to and including
the first weeks after conception, but of course not everyone plans a
pregnancy. You may not even find out your bundle of joy is awaiting
its entrance into the world until that vital time in development is
over.
Why not make sure women are getting
an extra dose of folic acid anyway by adding it to flour? Fifty countries already
do this – though no members of the European Union, yet.
In the
House of Lords on Wednesday, Labour peer Lord Rooker asked when the UK
government would make up its mind about whether to fortify bread flour
with folic acid, and was told a decision would be made by Easter.
The
government is awaiting the data from the National Diet and
Nutrition Survey, which has sent blood samples to the USA to measure
folate levels in a representative section of the British population.
Quite why these samples had to go to the US to be tested we have not been told, but it
seems slightly ironic because the US has been adding folic acid to
flour since 1998 – on the recommendation of the UK's Medical
Research Council.
The wait for a decision seems a long one for many. Lord Rooker
pointed out in the Lords debate that every week in England and Wales
three babies are born with spina bifida and another 13 pregnancies
terminated when a neural tube defect is discovered. He estimates that
66% of these family tragedies could be avoided by the simple, cheap
public health intervention of adding folic acid to flour in the same
way we already add other micronutrients.
There are concerns, of course. The main worry about people eating enriched flour in their morning toast is that folic acid
can mask the signs of vitamin B12 deficiency, and B12 deficiency can eventually
cause nerve damage. This is particularly an issue with older people, because vitamin B12
becomes harder to absorb with age. But as with most public health
interventions, we hope a careful analysis of the pros and cons is
being undertaken.
We can worry about how our food is being
adulterated with
“nasty chemicals” all we like, but the simple fact is that adding
micronutrients to food can lead to long-lasting improvements in our
health and that of our children. If the government decides to add folic
acid to flour, it may prevent countless family tragedies.