Iron-deficiency-anemia affects 30% of the world population. Women of reproductive age and children are the most affected. Iron supplementation in the form of tablets and syrups has not been successful in developing countries, and iron deficiency is still the most important deficiency related to malnutrition. Iron-deficiency anemia affects physical and cognitive development at an early age in ch...

Objective: To evaluate the mandatory folic acid fortification of flour on mortality rates after the hospital discharge of children born with myelomeningocele, the most affected age group and the most frequent cause of death. Methods: A retrospective study of 383 children born with myelomeningocele from January 1990 to December 2013 in a high-fetal-risk reference hospital. Results: A total o...

The gap that exists between research and the dissemination and implementation of research findings has been well established. Food fortification, one of the most cost-effective means of addressing micronutrient malnutrition, is no exception. With decades of implementation experience, there is need to strengthen mechanisms that effectively broadcast proven strategies to promote the successful im...

This article presents data on the current best evidence-based clinical practices and controversies surrounding folic acid supplementation/fortification for the prevention of neural tube defects (NTDs) during early pregnancy. Formatted as a series of ten clinical questions, answers and extensive discussion are provided for each point. We assess the history and evidence behind supplementation and...

The Food and Drug Administration mandated the folate fortification of grain products in the United States by January 1998. The primary driving force behind this policy was the recognition that periconceptional folate supplementation in addition to normal dietary folate intake significantly reduced the incidence of neural tube defects (NTDs), one of the most common birth defects (1, 2). Food for...

BACKGROUND A significant increase in the frequency of twins has been described in the literature as a secondary effect of perinatal supplementation with folic acid. AIM To verify if the frequency of twins increased in a Chilean hospital, after the start of flour folic acid supplementation. MATERIAL AND METHODS The frequency of twins was compared in the University of Chile Clinical Hospital,...

The aim of this paper was to optimize the level of fortification of omega-3 fatty acid into processed cheese spread. The fortification level of 5 to 15% with 5% interval with flaxseed oil, algal oil and fish oil emulsions were incorporated into processed cheese spreads.15% of fortification level was selected for flaxseed oil and algal oil and 10% was selected for fish oil emulsion based on sens...

BACKGROUND Iron is essential for the growth and virulence of many pathogenic enterobacteria, whereas beneficial barrier bacteria, such as lactobacilli, do not require iron. Thus, increasing colonic iron could select gut microbiota for humans that are unfavorable to the host. OBJECTIVE The objective was to determine the effect of iron fortification on gut microbiota and gut inflammation in Afr...

BACKGROUND Previous studies have yielded inconsistent results for the effects of periconceptional multivitamins containing folic acid and of folic acid food fortification on congenital heart defects (CHDs). METHODS We carried out a population-based cohort study (N=5 901 701) of all live births and stillbirths (including late-pregnancy terminations) delivered at ≥20 weeks' gestation in Canada ...