Early folate supplementation in pregnancy linked to lower risk of autism
RESEARCHERS have linked folic acid supplementation in early gestation to a reduced risk of autism.
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folic acid
The following articles have the tag folic acid
Folate reduces autism, Asperger’s risk
NEW evidence has emerged of the benefits of folic acid supplementation early in pregnancy, with Norwegian researchers linking it to a nearly 40% reduced risk of autism.
More positive bowel tests after folic fortification
THE rate of positive results from bowel cancer screening has risen contemporaneously with the introduction of mandatory folic acid fortification in Australia, new figures show.
Study raises new concerns over folate supplement-cancer link
MORE evidence has emerged linking folic acid supplementation with an increased risk of cancer. A combined analysis of two Norwegian studies has found patients with ischaemic heart disease who received 0.8 mg/d of folic acid plus 0.4 mg/d of vitamin B12 had an 18% increased risk of death from any cause compared to controls. Deaths were primarily due to an increase in lung cancer, the authors said. However, patients receiving folic acid and vitamin B12 had a 21% increased risk of being diagnosed with any form of cancer. The two randomised trials included 6837 participants. ...
New safety concerns over folic acid
LESS than a month before Australia will begin mandatory folate fortification, a new study has fanned controversy about the planned public health move. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is expected to implement a regulation that any flour used for bread making must be fortified with folic acid from 13 September. While Australia remains committed to fortification, Lydia Buchtmann, spokesperson for FSANZ, says the New Zealand Government has indicated it will delay introduction because of concerns over safety. Now researchers from Ireland, where mandatory fortification is also on hold, have found low circulatory levels of unmetabolised ...
World report – 24 July 2009
• NZ PLANS FOR FOLATE IN BREAD HALF-BAKED THE New Zealand Government has said it may reconsider plans to fortify bread with folic acid, the NZ Herald reports. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has been investigating folate fortification for a number of years, and ministers from Australia and New Zealand agreed to a fortification strategy two years ago. Now NZ food safety minister Kate Wilkinson has said the Government is “currently assessing its options” on the new standard. The National Party government, elected last September, said the previous Labour government had ignored ...
Folate a prostate cancer risk
SUPPLEMENTATION with 1 mg of daily folic acid could increase the risk of prostate cancer, research suggests. Secondary analysis of a US randomised study of 643 men (mean age 57 years) found those receiving 1 mg of folate supplementation per day had almost three times the risk of developing prostate cancer compared to those on placebo. After 10 years, 9.7% in the supplement cohort had developed prostate cancer, compared to 3.3% in the placebo group. However, men with higher baseline dietary folate intake had a slightly lower overall risk of developing prostate cancer if they did ...
Daily vitamins have no role in cancer prevention
TAKING folic acid, vitamin B 6 or B 12 supplements has no effect on the incidence of cancer in women, new research shows, contradicting previous studies that had indicated they may be preventive. A US randomised trial has found the widely used supplements, while not harmful, do not prevent incidence of total invasive cancer or breast cancer. Observational studies had indicated they may prevent colorectal cancer and breast cancer in particular. More than 5000 women aged 42 or older received a daily combination of 2.5 mg folic acid, 50 mg vitamin B 6 ...
Daily bread
Essential supplements or mass medication of the food supply? Lynnette Hoffman reports on the food fortification debate. BUY a loaf of crusty bread to accompany your soup in Tasmania, and chances are that along with the energy, you’ll also be consuming some of the daily recommended dose of iodine. This comes courtesy of a state government initiative first launched in October 2001 that encouraged bakeries to voluntarily replace regular salt with iodised salt. While there’s no legal requirement to participate, most of the biggest bakers in the state signed a memorandum, and it’s now ...