10.01.09
A recent study conducted in Ireland on blood donors, new mothers and babies concluded that most people get enough folic acid from voluntarily fortified foods, and that “mandatory” fortification may be unnecessary. In fact, researchers suggest that mandatory food fortification may have an “overdosing” effect. Results were published in the open access journal BMC Public Health. Researchers studied 50 blood samples from the Irish Blood Transfusion Service and from 20 mothers and 20 infants’ umbilical cords, from Coombe Women’s and Infant’s University Hospital, based in Dublin. In this study, researchers found that circulatory unmetabolized folic acid was present in the majority of their samples. They write, “This implies constant exposure of both normal cells, and potential tumor cells, to this pro-vitamin amongst Irish consumers. In terms of the predicted increase that will arise if mandatory fortification goes ahead, we predict the increase to be in the region of 12%.” The consequences of increased consumption of folic acid are still unknown, but, according to the researchers, “This should continue to be of concern for those with responsibility for drafting legislation in this area.”