Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2011 Mar;3(3):370-84.
doi: 10.3390/nu3030370. Epub 2011 Mar 15.

Folic acid food fortification-its history, effect, concerns, and future directions

Krista S Crider  1 , Lynn B Bailey, Robert J Berry
Affiliations
Review

Folic acid food fortification-its history, effect, concerns, and future directions

Krista S Crider et al. Nutrients. 2011 Mar.

Abstract

Periconceptional intake of folic acid is known to reduce a woman's risk of having an infant affected by a neural tube birth defect (NTD). National programs to mandate fortification of food with folic acid have reduced the prevalence of NTDs worldwide. Uncertainty surrounding possible unintended consequences has led to concerns about higher folic acid intake and food fortification programs. This uncertainty emphasizes the need to continually monitor fortification programs for accurate measures of their effect and the ability to address concerns as they arise. This review highlights the history, effect, concerns, and future directions of folic acid food fortification programs.

Keywords: cancer; epigenetics; flour fortification; folic acid; neural tube defects.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Eitenmiller R., Landen W. Vitamin Analysis for the Health and Food Science. CRC Press; Baco Raton, FL, USA: 1999. Folate; pp. 411–465.
    1. O’Broin J.D., Temperley I.J., Brown J.P., Scott J.M. Nutritional stability of various naturally occurring monoglutamate derivatives of folic acid. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 1975;28:438–444. - PubMed
    1. Temple C., Montgomery J.A. Chemical and Physical Properties of Folic Acid and Reduced Derivatives. John Wiley; New York, NY, USA: 1984.
    1. Stover P.J. Folate biochemical pathways and their regulation. In: Bailey L.B., editor. Folate in Health and Disease. 2nd. CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group; Gainesville, FL, USA: 2009. pp. 49–74.
    1. Molloy A.M., Brody L.C., Mills J.L., Scott J.M., Kirke P.N. The search for genetic polymorphisms in the homocysteine/folate pathway that contribute to the etiology of human neural tube defects. Birth Defects Res. A Clin. Mol. Teratol. 2009;85:285–294. - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms