On behalf of the organizations comprising the Grain Chain, a grains industry coalition from farm to table, we would like to show our support of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement: Folic Acid for the Prevention of Neural Tube Defects: Preventive Medication.
We agree that folic acid consumption is critical for the prevention of neural tube defects. The development of the brain and spinal cord occurs in the first three weeks of a pregnancy, often before a woman even knows she is pregnant. Since the FDA required fortification of enriched grains with folic acid in 1998, the number of babies born in the United States with neural-?tube birth defects has declined by 36 percent in non-?Hispanic whites, and by 36 percent among Hispanics i.
Given that consumption of naturally folate-?rich foods such as dark green leafy vegetables and legumes is far below recommended levels, enriched, fortified grain foods are the primary source of folic acid in Americans’ diets. This is particularly important for women of childbearing age, the majority of whom do not take folic acid supplements. Furthermore, the body better absorbs folic acid almost twice as efficiently than natural folate.ii Enriched grains, as mandated by the U.S. Government since 1941, contain essential B vitamins that help maintain a healthy nervous system, increase energy production, and may play a role in lowering cholesterol. Due to this enrichment policy, the reduction in neural tube defects has reduced health care costs associated with spina bifida and anencephaly, resulting in annual savings in total direct costs of approximately $508 million for the neural tube defect affected births that were prevented with folic acid fortification. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) proclamation in 2011 named the fortification of folic acid to enriched grains as one of the top 10 health achievements in the first decade of this century.iii
As a result of the studies referenced above, as well as the literature in the draft recommendation statement, we would like to share our support for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force ‘Folic Acid for the Prevention of Neural Tube Defects: Preventive Medication’ statement. Thank you for the opportunity to present these comments on behalf of the Grain Chain.
- Julie Miller Jones, PhD, LN, CNS
- Statement presented on behalf of The Grain Chain:
- American Bakers Association
- Grain Foods Foundation
- Independent Bakers Association
- North American Millers' Association
- National Pasta Association
- National Association of Wheat Growers
- USA Rice
- Wheat Foods Council
1. Williams J, Mai CT, Mulinare J, et al. Updated estimates of neural tube defects prevented by mandatory folic acid fortification – United States, 1995-2011. MMWR. 2015;64:1-5.
2. Pitkin RM. Folate and Neural Tube Defects. Am J ClinNutr. 2007; 85 (suppl): 285S-8S
3. CDC. Ten Great Public Health Achievements – U.S. 2001-2010. MMWR. (19) 619-613, May 2011.
Source: Grain Chain