Food fortification cuts cases of spina bifida in Canada

The fortification of a nation's food with folic acid dramatically reduces the incidence of spina bifida and other neural tube defects. This benefit occurs without masking vitamin B-12 deficiency in elderly people, a theoretical risk of fortifying food with folic acid.

These were the findings of Canadian researchers who studied the population in Newfoundland, an area with historically high rates of neural tube defects (BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2004;4:20). They found that the rate of such defects was 78% lower after fortification. They conclude that fortifying food with folic acid at the …