New Zealand Fortifies Bread With Folic Acid to Prevent Birth Defects

To avoid birth abnormalities, all non-organic bread-making wheat flour in New Zealand will be enriched with folic acid. The goal is to prevent neural tube abnormalities like spina bifida. According to the Xinhua news agency, they occur in roughly 10.6 per 10,000 live births in New Zealand and are connected with permanent impairment. With the announcement that folic acid will be added to bread-making flour, New Zealand has joined the ranks of more than 70 countries that require folic acid to be added to a food staple to prevent neural tube defects, according to Kathryn Bradbury, a senior research fellow at the University of Auckland's School of Population Health.

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Need of Preconception Folic Acid in New Zealand

Folic acid supplements have been demonstrated in studies to lower the occurrence of certain neural tube abnormalities during pregnancy by up to 70% (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Spina Bifida

Go to source). To be fully effective, folic acid supplements must be taken before conception, however, more than half of pregnancies in New Zealand are unplanned.

"Adequate folate intake in pregnancy is also a health equity issue," said Louise Brough, senior lecturer in Nutrition Science at Massey University, noting that Maori, Pacific people, young mothers, and those with lower incomes are less likely to take folic acid supplements, particularly preconception, due to high rates of unplanned pregnancy.

According to a 2011 New Zealand poll, barely one-third of pregnant women took folic acid supplements.

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Folate Fortified Bread Can Help Reduce Neural Tube Defects

Bread is an excellent source of folate since it is widely consumed throughout New Zealand, with higher intakes among people with lower means, according to Brough.

In Australia, folic acid fortification of bread became mandated in 2009, and it is estimated that neural tube abnormalities were reduced by 14% among all women, but by 74% among Aboriginal Australians, she added.

Brough also expressed concerns about "mass medication" and the impact of increased folic acid intake on other population groups. However, she claims that folic acid has been fortified in flour in the United States for over two decades and that neural tube defect-affected pregnancies have decreased with no proven harmful effects in the community.

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Folate Helps Prevent Heart Health and Cancer Prevention

“Folate, also known as vitamin B9, is an important vitamin that many of us do not get enough of,” said Associate Professor Lynne Chepulis of the University of Waikato.

Outside of pregnancy, there is good evidence that folic acid supplementation is still highly beneficial, such as lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease and even some cancers, according to Chepulis, who adds that optimal folate levels are required throughout life, but especially during periods of rapid growth.

Emeritus Professor Elaine Rush of Auckland University of Technology advocated for a national nutrition survey to allow folic acid fortification of bread to reach target consumers, such as women of childbearing age, and to inform the fortification of other foods, such as rice.

Reference:

1. Spina Bifida - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559265/)

Source-Medindia