A new study will evaluate the impact of Ireland's forthcoming programme to fortify flour with folic acid. The vitamin is known to reduce the risk of neural tube defects, such as spina bifida, in the developing embryo and the project will focus on families with increased likelihood of having children with such conditions.
About one in 1,000 babies born in Ireland has a neural tube defect, according to epidemiologist Dr Julianne Byrne, director of the Boyne Research Institute (BRI) in Drogheda, a privately funded institute that conducts research on birth defects.
Relatives of those children, including the wider family, are at a higher risk than the general population of themselves having a child with a neural tube defect, according to Dr Byrne. "Certain groups of relatives seem to be more affected than others. I'm not talking about a very high risk, but it is higher than we'd expect."
Folic acid is involved in building DNA which is necessary for healthy cells, explained Dr Byrne. She added that in addition to reducing the risk of neural tube defects, folic acid can also help protect against stroke.
Fortification has been approved and folic acid will be added to flour to increase intake in much of the population.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) is looking at legislation, and fortification is estimated to start in about a year, deputy chief executive Alan Reilly told The Irish Times.
The FSAI is also looking at baseline levels of folic acid in the general population, he added.
However, the BRI study is the first of its kind to zone in on the extended family of people with neural tube defects.
