Lack of folic acid enrichment in Europe causes mortality among fetuses

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-08/au-lof082815.php

Public Release: 28-Aug-2015
Lack of folic acid enrichment in Europe causes mortality among fetuses
Aarhus University

A new international study shows that 5,000 foetuses in Europe annually are affected by spina bifida and other severe defects on the central nervous system. Seventy per cent of these pregnancies are terminated, while increased mortality and serious diseases affect the children who are born. At least half of the cases can be avoided by adding folic acid to staple foods as is already being done in seventy non-European countries.

A lack of folic acid enrichment in Europe is the cause of several thousand cases of foaetal abnormalities e.g. spina bifida. These congenital diseases lead to an open spinal cord or brain malformation due to deformed vertebrae. The best-case scenario for the newborn baby is to undergo some correcting surgeries, though this case is also associated with various degrees of disabilities. In the worst cases, the baby will not survive. Today, two out of three foetuses with spina bifida are terminated by an abortion after diagnosis in the beginning of the pregnancy.

Half of the 5,000 annual cases could be avoided by enriching foods with the vitamin folic acid, which is known to play an important role in the formation of the vertebrae in prenatal life. In Europe, it is currently recommended that all women who are planning a pregnancy should take a folic acid supplement. But the numbers which reveal the development over 11 years show that the voluntary scheme is ineffective and has serious consequences for the foetuses.

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70 non-European countries have already introduced folic acid enrichment, including the USA, where it was introduced 17 years ago, as well as Canada and Australia. The measure has reduced foetal defects related to folic acid such as spina bifida by fifty per cent.

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