Folic acid in flour 'could cut birth defects by 70%'

THE number of children with devastating birth defects could be cut by 70% if the Government allowed folic acid to be added to flour, medical experts have said.

Research published yesterday found half of Irish people carry gene variations which increase the risk of birth defects such as spina bifida. The research, carried out by Irish and US teams and published in the British Medical Journal, found variant genes, carried by one or both parents, can increase the risk of having a baby with neural tube defects, which affect the development of the spine.

Around 70 babies are born here every year with neural tube defects of which spina bifida is the most common. Researcher Dr Peadar Kirke said this could be cut by as much as 70% if bread and other flour products were fortified with folic acid. "Every year 70 babies are born here with neural tube defects but if the Government approved a vigorous health campaign aimed at women of child-bearing age, and fortified flour, then up to 50 of those children would be born normal, healthy babies," Dr Kirke, of the Health Research Board in Dublin, said.

Folic acid, when broken down in the body to folate, plays a key role in ensuring the neural tube develops normally during pregnancy. Low levels of folate increase the risk of spina bifida, or other related conditions. The research found half the population have variant genes that don't process folate in a normal way.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland reported to the Department of Health last June that the fortification of flour with folic acid would have a significant effect in preventing neural tube defects without adverse health effects to the rest of the population.

Yesterday, the department said Health Minister Mícheál Martin intended to initiate consultation on the FSAI recommendation.

While Dr Kirke welcomed this, he called for immediate action, as did the Irish Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus.