A team of international researchers including experts from the University of Central Florida and Emory University have found that using folic acid-fortified iodised table salt can prevent multiple severe birth defects. The findings of the new study are published in ‘JAMA Network Open’.
The importance of women having enough folic acid in their bodies before and during pregnancy to prevent permanent and life-threatening birth defects, such as spina bifida and anencephaly, has been known for decades.
In May 2023, the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution promoting food fortification with folic acid to accelerate the slow pace of prevention of spina bifida and other birth defects associated with low maternal folate levels at the time of early pregnancy.
Yet approximately 260,000 births worldwide about 20 per cent in every 10,000 births are still affected by spina bifida and anencephaly, contributing to a high number of stillbirths, elective pregnancy terminations, and deaths of infants and young children.
