Canada's folic acid success to encourage others?

If anyone needed further support for benefits of folic acid fortification, a new study shows that the incidence of neural tube defects in Canada has dropped by 46 per cent since the advent of folic acid addition to flours.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, has implications for countries debating the effectiveness of fortification. Currently, only Canada, the United States, and Chile require that folic acid be added to flour. The signs are indicating that it will be introduced in the UK soon. An announcement is expected within the next month or so concerning fortification in Ireland, and similar measure under scrutiny in Australia.

"We found that food fortification with folic acid was associated with a significant reduction in neural-tube defects in Canada," wrote lead author Philippe De Wals of Université Laval. "Furthermore, the risk reduction appeared greatest in regions in which the rates were highest before the fortification program was implemented.

Steve - the UK is predicted to go a step further by introducing an activated form of folate, L-5 methyl tetrahydrofolate, as the main fortifying ingredient, so it can be absorbed by a large part of the population who cannot break down folic acid into absorbable folate.