Folic acid in bread
Posted By: Noble Beverages on Thursday, 19 November 2009
Australia has recently made
it mandatory for all bread-flour to be fortified with folic acid. Only organic
bread-flour is exempt from this regulation. But now, a new study in the Journal
of the American Medical Association has shown that: “Heart patients in Norway,
where foods are not fortified with folic acid, were more likely to die from
cancer if they took folic acid and vitamin B12 supplements than those who did
not take them.”
This is an astounding study
that should make everyone question whether the decision of Food Standards
Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) was the right one to take. Yes, neural tube
defects like spina bifida are horrible and result from pregnant women having
low levels of folic acid. But to medicate the entire population when there
could be larger consequences seems like overkill.
There is only one way to
avoid added folic acid in everyday bread – buy organic bread. If you aren’t
pregnant this may be the prudent approach to take until further studies on the long-term
effects of increased folic acid are conducted.