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Article: Folic acid: too much of a good thing? Food folate to the rescue.
- Article from:
- Environmental Nutrition
- Article date:
- March 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Belvoir Media Group, LLC. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Ten years ago, the Food and Drug Administration mandated that bread and flour labeled "enriched" be fortified with folic acid in addition to the other B vitamins and iron already required. The regulation has been a success, especially in protecting fetuses against neural tube defects, common birth defects that can occur in women who don't get enough folic acid in the first few weeks of pregnancy. Now, however, experts are wondering if getting too much folic acid could be a problem for some people.
Folic acid and folate are two forms of the same B vitamin (collectively called folacin). Folic acid is the form of the vitamin used in supplements and fortified foods, ...