The Food Standards Agency will tomorrow recommend mandatory folic
acid fortification of bread in the UK, in an effort to reduce the
incidence of pregnancies affected by neural tube defects (NTDs).
The number of deaths from stroke in North America has dropped by
five per cent since the introduction of folic acid fortification,
while figures in the non-fortifying UK have not changed.
Supplements of B-vitamins lowered homocysteine levels but did not
reduce the risk of heart disease, heart attack or stroke for
high-risk patients, report two new studies - findings that cannot
be applied to the general population.
The EU has given the green light for the use of Merck Eprova's
Metafolin, a patented form of folate with superior bioavailability,
in dietary supplements and dietetic foods in the EU, thereby giving
formulators the means to differentiate...
Folic acid from fortification and supplements may reduce the
severity of birth defects, as well as preventing the rate of
defects, leading experts to again call for increasing fortification
levels.
Pregnant women who do not take folic acid-containing supplements
are eight times more likely to have low serum folate values,
despite eating folate-fortified foods, claims a new study.
The UK appears close to introducing compulsory flour fortification
in an attempt to reduce neural tube defects, while a new report
lists France as having the lowest rates of birth defects, a
statistic that has been linked to the folate-rich...
Evidence for folic acid's ability to reduce the adverse effects of
alcohol on breast cancer risk is stacking up, with the publication
of a prospective cohort study in the British Medical
Journal.
Fortification campaigners yesterday urged millers in the Middle
East and Africa to add vitamins to their products to help fight
nutrient deficiencies common in the region.
Eating foods rich in B-vitamins and folate, such as green, leafy
vegetables, could help prevent against age-related mental decline
according to a study published this month.
A new study indicates that the mandatory addition of folic acid to
all grain products has had less of an impact on neural tube defects
in non-Hispanic black births than other racial and ethnic groups,
prompting renewed pressure on...
A new study from Norway has cast doubt on years of research
suggesting that vitamin B6 and folic acid may have a protective
effect on the cardiovascular system - findings that could lead to a
rethink of supplements advice dished out...
Older adults who consume at least 400 micrograms of folate from the
diet or supplements each day could more than halve their risk of
developing Alzheimer's disease, suggests a new study.
The mandatory fortification of flour and grain products with folic
acid in the US appears to be bringing in results, according to the
largest study of B vitamin levels in the population carried out to
date.
A chemically produced folate, said to be several times more
bioavailable than folic acid and recently approved for food use in
Europe, gives premium supplement makers a chance to differentiate
from the commonly marketed form of the...
Women planning to have a baby should increase their folate intake
if they want their child to reach optimal weight, finds new
research that links the vitamin for the first time to birth weight.
Fortifying milk with folic acid offers an accessible source of the
vitamin, report Dutch researchers who tested bioavailability of the
nutrient in a clinical trial.
Ireland's food authority has launched the first major public
consultation of its kind to inform new laws on fortifying food with
folic acid, writes Dominique Patton.
People who consume a lot of folate, or take large doses of folic
acid in supplement form, may have a faster rate of mental decline
when older, say researchers on a large population study.
Ireland could be one of the first European countries to introduce
mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid if members of the
public and other stakeholders back the initiative in a new
consultation process, reports Dominique...
Folic acid supplements, recommended to women who are trying for a
baby, do not appear to significantly boost the chances of having
twins, finds a large study, despite some evidence of this effect in
previous trials.
UK and Spanish scientists have explained why the active compound in
green tea, EGCG, can stop cancer cells growing even in people that
only drinks two cups of the beverage a day.
Recommendations for women planning a pregnancy to take folic acid
supplements have had no impact on the number of babies born with
neural tube defects, says an international team of researchers.
The popularity of low carb diets makes the message of National
Folic Acid Awareness Week more significant than ever, as women of
childbearing age may be risking the health of their babies by
cutting back on sources of the B vitamin.
People genetically prone to high concentrations of homocysteine
have a higher risk of stroke than other individuals, according to a
new study that supports the theory of a causal relationship between
the amino acid and stroke.
With more than half of US women of childbearing age still not
taking a folic acid supplement despite the evidence suggesting its
importance in avoiding birth defects, the CDC Foundation has
launched a new education campaign, reports...
Pregnant women who take folic acid supplements to protect their
babies from birth defects may also increase their long-term risk of
breast cancer, according to preliminary data published in
tomorrow's BMJ.
Combining B vitamins with a powerful antioxidant could lower blood
levels of the amino acid homocysteine enough to prevent dementia,
claims a UK research firm preparing to test the theory in clinical
trials.
Folate, the B vitamin required by women to prevent birth defects in
their babies, also appears to reduce the risk of them developing
high blood pressure, shows new research.
Supplementation by US consumers could save the state $15 billion in
health costs according to a study published last week. Philippa
Nuttall spoke to Elliott Balbert, president of the Dietary
Supplement Education Alliance (DSEA), about...
A recent study in Canada has given weight to the assumption that
adding folic acid to food can dramatically reduce the incidence of
birth defects - suggesting that Europe should follow the example
set by North America and start to...
Mothers with low levels of vitamin B12 in their blood may be at
increased risk of having a child with the birth defect spina
bifida, Dutch researchers report.
Japanese pharmaceutical firm Takeda will sell off its stakes in
five non-core joint ventures, including the vitamins business that
it operates with Germany's BASF, according to reports.
The trace mineral selenium should be considered as a potential
factor to lower one of the markers of heart disease, homocysteine,
say Spanish researchers.
Researchers in the New England Journal of Medicine have found that
supplements of vitamin B, previously thought to help keep arteries
clear after a coronary stent was inserted, actually do the
opposite.