Case for mandatory fortification of food with folate in Australia, for the prevention of neural tube defects

Bower, Carol; Stanley, Fiona

doi:10.1002/bdra.20074

Cited by 19 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Conversely, there is a possible increased risk of certain cancers and the masking of anaemia caused by a vitamin B 12 deficiency, allowing neurological degradation to continue undetected. 22 The main obstacle with supplementation is getting women to take folic acid before and at the very early stages of pregnancy and this is why this public health measure is only partially being achieved. In order to further decrease NTD rates, folic acid fortification should be urgently considered; along with the option to supplement folic acid intake.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inadequate compliance with periconceptional folic acid supplementation in South Australia

Conlin

MacLennan

Broadbent

2006

Aust NZ J Obst Gynaeco

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inadequate compliance with periconceptional folic acid supplementation in South Australia

Conlin

MacLennan

Broadbent

2006

Aust NZ J Obst Gynaeco

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“…We also lacked information on dietary folate. Fortification of foods such as breakfast cereals began in the mid 1990s, after the data collection for our study [11]. Folate supplement use in the periconceptional period was to some extent promoted following the publication of the results of the MRC trial on folic acid and prevention of neural tube defects in 1991.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vitamin and mineral supplements in pregnancy and the risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: a case-control study

et al. 2007

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BackgroundAn earlier case-control study from Western Australia reported a protective effect of maternal folic acid supplementation during pregnancy on the risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). The present study tested that association.MethodsA national case-control study was conducted in New Zealand. The mothers of 97 children with ALL and of 303 controls were asked about vitamin and mineral supplements taken during pregnancy.ResultsThere was no association between reported folate intake during pregnancy and childhood ALL (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.5–2.7). Combining our results with the study from Western Australia and another study from Québec in a meta-analysis gave a summary OR of 0.9 (95% CI 0.8–1.1).ConclusionOur own study, of similar size to the Australian study, does not support the hypothesis of a protective effect of folate on childhood ALL. Neither do the findings of the meta-analysis.

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“…The essential role of folate in preventing neural tube defect has led many countries, including Australia (18,19), to introduce folic acid fortification of certain foods, including ready-to-eat breakfast cereals, fruit juices, and flour. Folate also plays a key role in DNA synthesis and methylation, and adequate intake is essential to maintain DNA integrity, stability and repair (20); thus, folate deficiency may increase cancer risk.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High Intake of Folate from Food Sources Is Associated with Reduced Risk of Esophageal Cancer in an Australian Population ,

Ibiebele¹,

Hughes²,

Pandeya³

et al. 2011

The Journal of Nutrition

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Folate plays a key role in DNA synthesis and methylation. Limited evidence suggests high intake may reduce risks of esophageal cancer overall; however, associations with esophageal cancer subtypes and Barrett's esophagus (BE), a precancerous lesion, remain unexplored. We evaluated the relation between intake of folate, B vitamins, and methyl-group donors (methionine, choline, betaine) from foods and supplements, polymorphisms in key folate-metabolizing genes, and risk of BE, esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in 2 population-based case-control studies in Australia. BE patients without (n = 266) or with (n = 101) dysplasia were compared with population controls (n = 577); similarly, EAC (n = 636) or ESCC (n = 245) patients were compared with population controls (n = 1507) using multivariable adjusted logistic regression. Increasing intake of folate from foods was associated with reduced EAC risk (P-trend = 0.01) and mitigated the increased risks of ESCC associated with smoking and alcohol consumption. In contrast, high intake of folic acid from supplements was associated with a significantly elevated risk of BE with dysplasia. High intakes of riboflavin and methionine from food were associated with increased EAC risk, whereas increasing betaine intake was associated with reduced risks of BE without (P-trend = 0.004) or with dysplasia (P-trend = 0.02). Supplemental thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin B-12 were associated with increased EAC risk. There were no consistent associations between genetic polymorphisms studied and BE or EAC risk. High intake of folate-containing foods may reduce risk of EAC, but our data raise the possibility that folic acid supplementation may increase risks of BE with dysplasia and EAC.

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Case for mandatory fortification of food with folate in Australia, for the prevention of neural tube defects

Cited by 19 publications

References 20 publications

Inadequate compliance with periconceptional folic acid supplementation in South Australia

Inadequate compliance with periconceptional folic acid supplementation in South Australia

Vitamin and mineral supplements in pregnancy and the risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: a case-control study

High Intake of Folate from Food Sources Is Associated with Reduced Risk of Esophageal Cancer in an Australian Population ,

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