KAREN BRACEY
Wyoming Co. Extension Agent
TUNKHANNOCK (Wyoming
Co.) - As of January 1998, U.S.
food manufacturers must add
the B vitamin folic acid to
enriched bread, flour, cornmeal,
pasta, rice, and other grain
products as mandated by a 1996
U.S. Food and Drug Adminis
tration (FDA) regulation. The
decision to adopt a level of
required fortification between
0.43 and 1.4 milligrams folic
acid per pound of product repre
sents an attempt to balance the
need to provide enough folic acid
to prevent neural tube birth
defects with the possibility of
masking a deficiency of vitamin
B-12. The reasoning behind this
mandate as well as related ben
efits and disadvantages are dis
cussed here.
The FDA regulation requir
ing the fortification of enriched
grain products with folic acid is
a result of evidence that the risk
of neural tube birth defects,
such as spina bifida, is
decreased if pregnant women
take more folic acid during preg
nancy. The current Recom
mended Dietary Allowance
(RDA) of the National Academy
of Sciences is 180 micrograms
for non-pregnant adult women,
400 micrograms for pregnant
Great Plains
NO-TILL DRILLS
• Utilizes proven coulter/opener no-till system.
• Compact, well-balanced design transports easily.
• Heavy-duty coulters cut through tough ground
and heavy residue.
• Dry fertilizer, small seeds, and and fluffy seed box
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• Lock-out hubs disengage drives for transport.
The proven Great Plains no-hll system utilizes a
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openers to place the seed .. at the precise depth selected.
See The Dependable Great Plains
Dealers Listed Below:
C.B. Hoober & Sons, Inc.
Old Philadelphia Pike, Intercourse, PA 17534
717-768-8231
Chambersburg Farm Service
975 South Main Street, Chambersburg, PA 17201
717-264-3533
Norman D. Clark & Sons
Main Street, P.O. Box 27, Honey Grove, PA 17035
717-734-3682
Facts Behind Folic Acid Mandate
women, and 200 micrograms for
adult men. The Public Health
Service recommended in 1992
that all women of childbearing
age should consume 400 micro
grams (0.4 milligrams) of folic
acid in order to reduce the risk
of neural tube defects (NTDs),
the current recommendation is
to take a supplement containing
that mount of folic acid.
However, many women do not
achieve the recommended
intake or take the supplement.
And since the neural tube is
formed very early in pregnancy,
defects can occur before expec
tant mothers start taking sup
plements anyway. Fortifying
the food supply then seemed to
be the most efficient way of
assuring that folic acid needs
are met. The FDA has estimat
ed that the benefits far outweigh
the monetary costs of fortifica
tion.
While successful prevention
of birth defects is a valid reason
for folic acid fortification of the
food supply, there are the conse
quences to be considered. For
one, folic acid supplementation
has the potential of reducing
cardiovascular disease and
stroke among the elderly.
Estimates are that folic acid
supplementation at the recom
mended levels will decrease the
risk of coronary artery disease
to ft. & 12 ft.
by 3 to 5 percent.
This good news does not come
without a downside, however.
Masking vitamin B-12 deficien
cy is the concern. Currently the
only way to detect a vitamin B
-12 deficiency is to test for perni
cious anemia. Since this anemia
can be caused by either a folate
or a vitamin B-12 deficiency,
folic acid can correct it, thus pos
sibly masking a B-12 deficiency.
However, a vitamin B-12 defi
ciency can lead also to severe
and permanent nerve damage
via mechanisms not related to
folate. Therefore folic acid forti
fication involves a delicate bal
ance between adding enough to
food to reduce birth defects and
cardiovascular disease risk and
adding too much and thereby
masking a vitamin B-12 defi
ciency. Fortification has been
designed to keep daily intake of
folic acid below one milligram to
avoid this masking effect.
Researchers have suggested
that a higher priority needs to
be given to a search for a better
diagnostic procedure for vitamin
B-12 deficiency. Meanwhile,
people who take supplements
are those most vulnerable to get
ting enough folic acid to mask
any B-12 deficiency, which is
usually due to inadequate B-12
absorption rather than dietary
insufficiency. People unable to
&
m>* r
€
D & E Equipment
307 Edgar Avenue, Bloomsburg, PA 17815
717-784-5217
Carlisle Farm Service
260 York Road, Carlisle, PA 17013
800-447-6829
Lone Maple Sales & Service T^high Equlpment , me.
RD «2-6mTi22 Aden,own, PA 18106
610-398-2553
absorb B-12 from foods because
of low stomach acid (estimated
at one in five people over age 60
and two in five over age 80), may
be able to absorb the vitamin in
the crystalline form found in vit
amin supplements. Elderly peo
ple who take' supplements
should therefore make sure
theirs contains an adequate
amount of vitamin B-12, for
which the current RDA is 2
micrograms.
A final concern is that federal
regulations do not require
enrichment. Regulations of the
SOUTHAMPTON (Bucks
Co.) - More than 12 million
pounds of dry milk products
manufactured at the Land
O'Lakes Carlisle plant have
been sent overseas, with more
on the way.
The products, including non
fat dry milk, are being exported
through the Dairy Export
Incentive Program (DEIP). A
federally-funded program, DEIP
assists U.S. cooperatives in mar
keting their products overseas.
"We are excited about this
opportunity," said William L.
The Most Comprehensive Set of
Time-Proven No-Till Drill Features
In The Business
Lancastar Fanning, Saturday, Fabruary 7, ISM'S?
Dry Milk Products
Head Overseas
Hines Equipment
Rt. 28 West, Cresson, PA 16630
814-886-4183
and Rt. 220, Belwood, PA
814-742-8171
C. B. Hoober & Sons, Inc.
McAlisterville, PA 17049
717-463-2191
Nutrition Labeling and
Education Act only stipulate the
amounts of certain nutrients
that must be added if a product
is enriched. While most of the
grain products available in gro
cery stores are enriched, certain
locally baked goods and import
ed products might not be.
Therefore consumers need to
check the food label to make
sure the product in which they
expect to find folic acid is indeed
enriched rather than simply
assume that all grains are so
fortified.
Schreiber, Vice President of
Carlisle Operations. "It enables
us to access additional interna
tional market opportunities for
Land O'Lakes dairy fanner own
ers in the process."
The DEIP sales also allow the
cooperatives to take advantage
of overseas demand for dry milk
products. Such sales hlep
strengthen the U.S. market
price for powder by reducing
domestic powder inventories,
which were high in 1997.
Higher prices in turn bolster
U.S. milk producer prices.