Population-level changes in folate intake by age, gender, and race/ethnicity after folic Acid fortification.

摘要

In 1998, in an effort to reduce the number of neural tube defects (NTDs), the FDA mandated that all enriched grain products be fortified with folic acid. This policy was expected to add about 100 mg/day of folic acid to the diet of the average person in the United States. The expected outcome was that the percent of childbearing women (aged 15-44 years) receiving at least 400 mg/day of the vitamin would increase from 29% to 50%. By examining food and folic acid supplement intake and correcting for measurement error (what a woman eats in a single day versus folic acid consumed on an average day over time), this national study is the first attempt to see if that increase occurred. Although the study analyzed data for men and women in three age groups and of three races/ethnicities, I will comment only on the results for childbearing (aged 15-44) White, Black, and Mexican American women.