BACKGROUND With the goal of preventing open neural tube defects (NTDs), recommendations for folic acid supplementation before conception were introduced in Canada in 1994, and by November 1998 Canadian grain products were being fortified with folic acid. We wished to determine whether the annual incidence of open NTDs in Nova Scotia, including those in stillbirths and terminated pregnancies, ch...

Because of the discretionary nature of voluntary food fortification in the European Union, there is a need to monitor fortification practices and consumption of fortified foods in order to assess the efficacy and safety of such additions on an ongoing basis. The present study aimed to investigate the nutritional impact of changes in voluntary fortification practices in adults aged 18-64 years u...

BACKGROUND The Institute of Medicine set a tolerable upper intake level (UL) for usual daily total folic acid intake (1,000 µg). Less than 3% of US adults currently exceed the UL. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to determine if folic acid fortification of corn masa flour would increase the percentage of the US population who exceed the UL. DESIGN We used dietary intake data from N...

BACKGROUND In some patients with vitamin B-12 deficiency mistakenly treated with folic acid, anemia resolved but neurologic complications became worse (masking). Fortification of enriched cereal grains with folic acid has raised concerns that people who consume large quantities of cereal grains, particularly the elderly, may be at increased risk of masking. It is unclear, however, what proporti...

OBJECTIVES Fortification of grain products with folic acid has been shown to significantly reduce the occurrence of neural tube defects (NTDs) in Canada and elsewhere. However, the impact on non-NTD anomalies has not been well studied. METHODS Using the Alberta Congenital Anomalies Surveillance System (ACASS), we examined changes in occurrence of select congenital anomalies where folic acid s...

OBJECTIVE To find the prevalence of neural tube defects (NTDs), and compare the findings with local and international data, and highlight the important role of folic acid supplementation and flour fortification with folic acid in preventing NTDs. METHODS This is a retrospective study of data retrieved from the medical records of live newborn infants admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Uni...

There are a number of reports showing high prevalence of hypovitaminosis D across Iran. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether food fortification with vitamin D has the potential to increase serum 25(OH)D concentrations in Iranian people. MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, and The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched for randomized controlled clinical trials involving...

Folic acid fortification of grain foods on a mandatory basis has been in place in the USA since 1998. Because of the safety concerns surrounding this issue, the Food and Drug Administration in the USA, responsible for implementing the new fortification legislation, opted for the relatively low folic acid concentration of 1400mg/kg product, (United States Department of Health and Human Services,...

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of increased vitamin D fortification (250 IU/serving) of high-temperature, short-time (HTST)-processed 2% fat milk, UHT-processed 2% fat chocolate milk, and low-fat strawberry yogurt on the sensory characteristics and stability of vitamin D during processing and storage. Three replicates of HTST pasteurized 2% fat milk, UHT pasteurized 2% ...

This review aims to assess the efficacy and safety of voluntary fortification as an option to address the occurrence of inadequate micronutrient intakes in population subgroups in Europe. Although legislation is harmonised across the European Union, fortification practices and patterns of consumption of fortified foods vary considerably between countries. While the proportion of children consum...