Folic acid to be added to bread

[BahHunkBug]

A good idea?

I think so. They should be testing the elderly for deficiencys anyway. I think the positives outway the negatives. Now when can I get Fluoride in my water?

isnt fluoride already added to tap water?

we have fluoride in water.. i thought everywhere did now

"It will say the benefits seen in the United States and Canada, where the strategy has helped reduce birth defects such as spina bifida by as much as 50%, justify such state intervention.

It will, however, be controversial: critics claim it takes away individual choice..."

Haven't read the article but don't quite a few food products already contain added folic acid and other vitamins and minerals?

I think maybe its on about it being a legal requirement in bread?

I live in Belfast and I don't think we get fluoride. So what if it takes away choice? Is anyone going to choose to not do whats best for their baby?

no i don't like this.

if i want to take folic acid i will take folic acid, i don't want to be force fed anything.

i didn't think flouride was in the water everywhere yet.

PPB, not everybody who eats bread is having babies though... or ever, in the case of most men.

bad idea.

people should get folic acid by eating a healthy diet. we already know about supplements if ttc or pg.

this is just another excuse to sell overprocessed junk with added vitamins.

fluoride in water is not necessarily a good thing.

So you will now be able to buy bread with the crusts cut off and with folic acid in.

Both for babies, ironically!

You and I know this WWJD but the very sad fact is, is that a lot of people don't take care of themselves properly. A lot of people.

But that's a separate issue - next they'll be spraying everyone with delousing ointment before going into Tesco because some people can't be trusted to rid themselves of headlice.

Or something.

So its better to just ignore it and to let these children suffer or be aborted? At least this is something, is it really going to hurt anyone?

paula, yes, the habits of selling food that is optimised for a long shelf life, rather than nutritional value, and of eating nutritionally unbalanced diets IS harmful.

I see your point, but in the long term, I think we lose more by allowing ourselves to be fed this kind of stuff.

I get your point WWJD. I myself don'teed those sorts of things to myself or my family. You are preaching to the choir here. I just worry about the little ones with Mommys who think diffrently to me and you thats all. I feel bad for them.

But how do you know that the right people are eating the bread?

I think it's a great idea which is long overdue. Spina bifida is such an easy thing to prevent. White flour is fortified anyway - with iron, to replace that removed in processing.
Folate is non-toxic and has all sorts of health benefits.

It's not only the elderly that can develop B12 deficiency though. B12 deficiency is very serious and the sooner it's picked up the better the outcome. Folic stops it being picked up in routine tests afaik. I'll have to look it up again.
And no, I don't agree with mass medication of populations. While adding something might benefit one group, it might be disastrous for another.

I've just spotted a link on a news web page about this and then searched for threads on the topic.

I'm not in favour of mass medication of the population, either. It's one thing to add something that was there initially but was removed by the processing (iron, as per OP's post) but dosing the entire population with something to make up for undercompliance by a small group (i.e. TTC and pregnant mums who should, but don't, take it as a supplement) is a wee bit sinister for my taste.

Whoops! Only just realised how old this thread is (and that ref to iron in bread was not OP's post at all)

I don't object to mass medication on principle - already happens with fluoroide in many areas. But am surprised they've come down in favour of this one given the risk of masking B12 deficiency.

Oops!