Defects blamed on folic acid loss

A reduction in the amount of folic acid added to food is being linked to growing numbers of severe birth defects among Irish newborns.

Dublin City University (DCU) researchers have found breads, cereals, fruit juices, spreads, and yogurts are among the products less likely to contain added folic acid resulting in birth defects such as spina bifida.

Researchers found the increasing preference of Irish consumers for discount retailers, which stock few products fortified with folic acid, may also be contributing to the rise in children born with neural tube defects.