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To: freespirited

We don't really need to share it. The U.S. government started requiring the addition of folic acid to a wide range of foods a few years ago, due to the fact that folic acid deficiency has long been known to be the primary cause of neural tube defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly. The result is that even a pure junk food diet will result in sufficient folic acid intake. The Alzheimer's rate is likely to plummet even if nobody gets the message about the connection. Once in a while, the nanny-state actually does a good thing.


6 posted on 08/15/2005 8:42:37 AM PDT by GovernmentShrinker
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To: GovernmentShrinker
The U.S. government started requiring the addition of folic acid to a wide range of foods a few years ago, due to the fact that folic acid deficiency has long been known to be the primary cause of neural tube defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly.

Yup, the government did do something. But don't know that "wide variety" is a good description for requiring that it be added only to certain grain products.

The result is that even a pure junk food diet will result in sufficient folic acid intake.

Sufficient for what? When I googled this just now I found that the new program was designed to add only 100 mcg folic acid to existing intakes.

The CDC believed that 400mcg of folic acid daily would be enough to prevent neural tube defects in most women. But the new program only has the rate down by 25%. That means either the CDC estimate was way off or the enrichment program isn't getting women close to 400 mcg. My guess would be that the latter is more likely explanation.

The neural tube stuff doesn't apply to me. I take a one-a-day vitamin anyway and think everyone should.

8 posted on 08/16/2005 10:52:30 PM PDT by freespirited
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