title: Fortifying food with folic acid.
abstract: Folic acid supplementation may help prevent the following three common and important disorders: neural tube defect pregnancies, ischemic heart disease and strokes, and possibly colon cancer. Several studies have irrefutably established that folic acid supplementation in proper doses reduces neural tube defect pregnancies. Fortified food would be the most reliable way to address this health issue. Several epidemiologic reports have established a close link between hyperhomocysteinemia and ischemic heart disease. This is supported by evidence obtained from genetic defects leading to elevated plasma levels of homocysteine. There is reasonable evidence to conclude that hyperhomocysteinemia is the actual cause of excessive cardiac diseases. Again, folic acid supplementation in proper doses could potentially reduce ischemic heart disease by 40% There is also some evidence to suggest that folic acid treatment reduces the incidence of colon cancer. The reduction in all three health problems is dependent upon the dose of folic acid administered. The levels needed are rarely supplied by the daily food intake, even under ideal conditions, although breakfast cereals address this problem at least in part. It is proposed that flour be fortified because it is a food product heavily used by most people, and that governmental agencies should oversee such programs because they are responsible for setting public health policies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental and Preventive Medicine, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, St. Bartholomew's and The Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, United Kingdom. M.R.Law@mds.qmw.ac.uk
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Law
mesh_terms: D001939:Bread / Q000032:analysis / Q000592:standards; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000009:adverse effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D002523:Edible Grain; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005433:Flour / Q000032:analysis; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D020138:Hyperhomocysteinemia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000517:prevention & control; D015994:Incidence; D007881:Legislation, Food; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D009436:Neural Tube Defects / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D005492:Folic Acid