About 60 countries consume folic acid-fortified wheat flour, maize flour, or rice to prevent neural tube defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly (SBA). According to a recent survey, less than one-third of women in India consume folic acid supplements for at least 100 days during pregnancy. This could be the reason behind the high prevalence of SBA in India.
Now, researchers have examined whether folic acid-fortified iodized salt can increase serum folate concentrations in 83 nonpregnant, nonlactating women (aged 22 to 44 years) from four villages in Southern India. In the study, a four-month consumption of 300 ΞΌg/d of folic acid through double-fortified salt (folic acid and iodine) significantly increased serum folate concentration in the participants from 14.6 nmol/L to 54.4 nmol/L. This study recommends that consuming folic acid-fortified iodized salt is an inexpensive way toβ¦
