"folic acid" news and stories

The UCLA School of Public Health recently finished a study that found that men and women who ate a cup of salad each day had higher concentrations of folic acid, vitamins C and E, lycopene and alpha and beta carotene in the bloodstream than men and women who did not. Because many people do not get enough nutrients even when taking nutritional supplements, this is good news to anyone who can make room in their diet for an additional 90grams (1 cup) of salad on a daily basis.

Salad, as it was counted in the study, is considered to be raw vegetables, salad greens (lettuce, etc) and dressing. Scientists say that the results of this study should help to dispell the concerns that they body may have difficulty absorbing nutritents from raw vegetables, though a little bit of low fat dressing couldn't hurt - not to mention that salads are just a little bit more interesting with an added layer of flavor.

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In the US, Canada and Chile (and I beleive soon in the UK) folic acid is added to bread-making flour under satutory regulation. Australia and New Zealand look likly to follow as the joint countires food regulator has asked for feedback on the proposal.

Each year, 300 to 350 pregnancies in Australia and around 70 in New Zealand are affected by neural tube defects. Women who are deficient in folic acid have been shown to have a higher risk of having a child with these defects. The addition of Vitamnin B (folic acid) will reduce these numbers significantly it has been suggested.

Although bread has been put forward as the most common food item ate by women of child bearing age the regulator has asked if the addition should be spread across more foods, including milk and yoghurt.

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The Food and Drug Administration has a thing or two to say about the heart-healthy claims made by Mars' CocoaVia chocolate, launched last year. A letter to Mars' parent company Masterfoods USA from the FDA describes CocoaVia as "misbranded," due to what the FDA believes are conflicts between the antioxidant-rich chocolate's saturated fat content and its claim to be a heart healthy product, NutraIngredients-USA.com reported. Claims of health benefits make CocoaVia more drug than food, and would, in turn, require pre-market approval and a change in how the chocolate is marketed. The FDA also takes issue with the amounts of folic acid in some CocoaVia products, citing their recommendation of 1 mg per day. Masterfoods USA must now notify the FDA of how it plans to comply with the group's complaints, according NutraIngredients-USA.

In the UK, the Food Standards Agency is considering implementing a program that would require fortification of white flour with folic acid. The reason for this is that folic acid has been linked to a decrease in birth defects such as spina bifida. In the US and Canada, white flour has been fortified with folic acid since 1998. Since that time, studies have shown a significant drop in stroke mortality when the rates were compared with data taken from the UK. This appears to have been an unintended benefit of the folic acid fortification, but is likely to be a contributing factor to the Food Standards Agency's move towards require the same policy in the UK. If they adopt the plan, it would be the first mandatory food fortification since the 1940s.

Folic acid is found in whole grain wheat, but is largely stripped away by the refining processes used to make white flour. Some bakers and other manufacturers in the UK voluntarily fortify their flour with folic acid already.

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