On the pill Fortification programmes may lead to overconsumption
of folic acid MOST people who seek to lead a healthy lifestyle
know that they should eat an array of fruits and vegetables
every day. But when good intentions go awry, or just as an
insurance policy, there are always vitamin pills. In particular,
women hoping to become pregnant are advised in many countries to
take double the recommended dose of folic acid. But because some
people do not plan their pregnancies, several countries require
that the grains used to make bread, breakfast cereals and
suchlike be fortified with folic acid. It has worked. The
Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, an American
government agency, says that after fortification began, in 1998,
the reported prevalence of spina bifida in babies declined by
31%. Research is also going on into whether high doses of the
chemical prevent cardiovascular disease, strokes and cognitive
decline. But can people consume too much folic acid? The results
of a study published in the P