Folic acid
An important nutrient for women of childbearing age
Folic acid is an important nutrient for women of childbearing age, since it is essential for healthy cell division. Sufficient levels of folic acid in a woman’s body at the time of conception and in the early weeks of pregnancy have been shown to reduce the incidence of babies developing neural tube defects like spina bifida.
Fortification: A Canadian Success Story
Since 1998, most of Canada’s cereal grain products have been fortified with folic acid. It is estimated that fortification provides an additional 0.2 mg of folic acid to most of the population. According to a recent study published in The Lancet, the Canadian program has reduced the incidence of neural tube defects by 50 percent. Toronto-based researchers assessed the medical histories of over 300,000 women during six years before and six years after fortification began. Researchers also say that adding folic acid to cereal products has proven much more effective than relying on supplementation in tablet form before conception. A daily dose of 0.3 to 0.4 mg of folic acid over several months has been shown to reduce neural tube defects by 30 to 40 percent. More study is needed to determine if higher levels of fortification would be beneficial, according to the researchers.
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