Even with fortification, nearly a quarter of all reproductive-age women have folate levels that are sub-optimal to prevent neural tube defects.
Highlights
- Folate deficiency during pregnancy increase the chance of neural tube defect in the fetus.
- Women who are planning for pregnancy should take a daily supplement containing 0.4 to 0.8 mg of folic acid.
- Many women still do not consume adequate amounts of Folic acid and hence it is fortified in corn masa flour.
Despite the mandatory addition of folic acid to enriched grain products in the United States, many women still do not consume adequate amounts of this important vitamin, according to an editorial written by Laura E. Mitchell, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health.
"Since neural tube defects occur in the first few weeks of pregnancy, it is important for women to be taking the recommended amount of folic acid before they become pregnant. Because approximately one-half of pregnancies in the United States are unplanned, the USPSTF recommendation holds for all reproductive-age women, whether or not they are planning a pregnancy, so that all pregnancies benefit from this preventive measure," Mitchell said.
Although the USPSTF recommendation on folic acid supplementation has not changed since the task force's prior report in 2009, the current report considered new evidence obtained after mandatory folic acid fortification of the country's food supply.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandated folic acid fortification of grain products, such as enriched flour and bread, in January 1998. However, data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey indicate that even with fortification, nearly a quarter of all reproductive-age women have folate levels that are sub-optimal to prevent neural tube defects. Further, women who do not take folic acid supplements are approximately three times more likely to have sub-optimal folate levels compared to women who take supplements.
Although the USPSTF's recommendation about folic acid supplementation has been in place since 2009, the proportion of women who follow the recommendations remains low. Even among women with intended pregnancies, fewer than half take a daily folic acid supplement prior to pregnancy.
The addition of folic acid to corn masa flour specifically targets Hispanic women since they have a higher risk of neural tube defects than non-Hispanic women, tend to have lower blood folate levels and consume fewer of the traditionally fortified foods.
Reference
- Laura E. Mitchell et al., Daily folic acid supplementation remains important for prevention of birth defects, JAMA Pediatrics(2017).
Source-Medindia