Folic Acid
 

During a news bulletin on Radio 2 this morning I heard:
“The government has ORDERED all bakeries to include folic acid in the dough. This is to help prevent some birth deformities.”
Laudable as that may seem why do some 90% or more of the population have to take medication when they don’t need it?

The government tried it with Fluoride and as far as I know United Utilities do not put Fluoride in the water.

I would add that the bulletin has not been repeated since 0730. Why not?

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This was also on GMTV this morning, I have to say that I don't agree with foisting Folic Acid onto everyone. Fair enough, there are studies which confirm that it can reduce the incidence of Neural Tube defects eg, Spina Bifida, Anencephaly etc but there are already vitamins and folic acid supplements available for pregnant ladies and those wishing to become pregnant. Although folic acid will reduce the risk of these abnormalities, it will not eradicate that risk completely.

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If it helps women under certain circumstances what does it do for men???

Did the radio news get it wrong? Is the govenment hell bent on deciding how we live and what we need? Next thing you know we will be sent a guide on what we must eat and they will close fast food places and have food police fining us if we do not eat what we are told to eat.

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The real point is if the government gets away with this then it establishes a precedent. That being that the government can order whatever medication it likes to be put in our food and water.

First it was Fluoride, now Folic Acid – what next?

Tranquillisers when the public start to rebel physically against the government?

Far fetched? Maybe? But can we afford to take the chance?

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Tranqs for everyday life and uppers at election time. Carry on like this and living in the Mayamar Republic would be bliss. :D

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Like Lettie said, it will reduce the chance of your baby being born with Neural Tube defects ;)

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They are perhaps hoping that Folic Acid being forced upon us men will make us more understanding of the nanny state which we are living in :p

I'll get my coat on the way out.

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I think that mass medication is wrong...as Lettie says there is more than enough help for women who are pregnant, or who want to become pregnant.
There was some research that suggested folic acid supplements MAY help prevent heart attacks and strokes - but shortly after this was published there was other research that said it didn't and may actually be harmful.
If people wish to take vitamin supplements then that is their choice - but for goodness sake let's not be putting stuff into a staple food.

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forcing drugs(and effectively this is a drug) on us can NEVER be right, FULL STOP

It so happens that some people are intolerant of Folic Acid. It made Julie sick during her pregnancy. Once we could stop we did. If this goes through what is she supposed to make a butty with?

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Seriously now, my other half and I have have had a big conflab about this tonight, she thinks it's a good thing whereas I completely disagree with her ........... nothing new there you may think ;) but there are ways that pregnant women can get folic acid whether they buy food containing folate, purchase folic acid supplements or have supplements prescribed, why oh why should (a) private businesses be forced to include it as an extra ingrediemt, which will cost and therefore the cost of a loaf will rise and (b) every male and non pregnant woman be forced to ingest it - sure it's in some cereals and folate is common in many foods which make up a healthy diet but it's a good old loaf of bread! Are we no longer free to choose? :mad:

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It seems not.... unless of course you give up bread.

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I saw it on the news and they mentioned it was to be added tp the flour so you can't even avoid it by making your own bread! There was mention that folic acid can actually mask the symptoms of some illnesses which could then go undiagnosed. Brilliant! :rolleyes:

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I do worry about the effects that chemicals have on other people - every body is different and so some people might have bad reactions to it. I can just see the headlines in 10 years saying 'Folic Acid causes Cancer' or 'Folic Acid causes Infertility in Men'. If you don't need to take folic acid i.e. you're not expecting or trying to have a baby you shouldn't be force fed it

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Well, of course, the answer would be a return to wholesome "natural" foods, untampered with and baked/prepared as you would in your own kitchen. The problem is that, no matter how much food you prepare and cook yourself, you cannot be certain how much of the ingredients has been subject to intervention unless it is all authentically organic.

I wouldn't want to buy bread that has been artificially "inseminated" with folic acid or anything else. I don't want to buy any foodstuff that has been sprayed, treated or in any way "modified".

This government is so good at telling us how we should live our lives and what is good for us. They seem, to me, to be unable to see the wood for the trees.

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That is absolutely true Willow. Folic acid supplementation can mask vitamin B12 deficiency (pernicious anaemia). This condition is found mainly in elderly people and can cause neurological and cardiovascular symptoms. Folic acid therapies should never be given without first checking for B12 deficiencies......... Are the government going to mass check everyone????
I don't think so.:(

Funnily enough, the National Childbirth Trust are all for this supplementation, arguing that many pregnancies are unplanned............. Whose fault is that????? Certainly not the general public's who this drug will be forced upon. I am very surprised that the NCT are in favour of this. I thought that they had more sense.

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I dont think that all flour should have folic acid added to it, it is already in some cereals and I dont have a problem with that, we still have a choice as to whether to buy those or not. I feel its all about CHOICE and it shouldn't be taken away from us.

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Absolutely agree with you lettie:D spot on. You can get free suppliments as soon as you are pregnant so theres no real reason that this is neccessary another big boob implimentation from the Gov & their health officials.

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Looks like im on my own on this one, i dont mind if they add folic acid to my flour/bread as i was just looking on other sites and it says that there are between 700-800 pregnancies with the defect each year! that to me is an astounding amount and where it wont eradicate the problem altogether it has been done in other countries and they have seen a decrease by 30-50%!

If this can be done to help prevent pregnancies with Spina Bifida then so be it! At the end of the day most of the food you eat daily contain allsorts of stuff that you wouldnt agree to eating, do we really know all the contents of all our food? and weather it is good for you or bad for you like said before it is already added to the cereal we eat, it is also found in Broccoli, bananas, oranges, peas,nuts....

Folic Acid is part of a vitamin group called B Vitamins, it is not just needed by pregnant women we all need Folic Acid for the production and maintainence of new cells, you need folate to make normal red cells and prevent anemia.:)

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Is there not a limit to how much of the vitamin you need??? some vitamins are quite harmful if overdosed, i seem to recall they overhauled some of the multivitamins because some was above level plus also to warn against over dosing.

Although with folic acid which is supposed to help absorb iron any excess is lost from the body in form of black poopies:rolleyes: :D

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Yes 1000 micrograms a day so that the intake does not mask the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency. It also says that this masking process is very scarce. Like i said i am looking at other sites i would post the site but i dont know how.

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I know what you mean i had to take iron tablets with both my pregnancies! Nice!!:p

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Copy link in address bar & paste it into message is how to do the links.:D

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folic_acid

has it worked?

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Yep had it with both of mine lol - even after a pint of guinness :D tehehe

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Yeah working fine there you are :D

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It still amounts to compulsory mass medication...which to my mind is an invasion of my right to choose. How long will it be before they put something into a staple food stuff that you don't agree with? There are plenty of opportunites for pregnant women to get the folates that they need...and as for the rest of us, well we should be able to choose whether we purchased vitamin enriched bread....there should be a choice for consumers....Bread with Folic Acid and bread without.

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It wont be added to all bread it wont be added to wholemeal bread, i just cant see what all the fuss is about like i said its already there in our everyday food it is not just needed by pregnant women we all need it!

The white bread we eat has had its flour bleached by potassium bromate or chlorine dioxide gas hummm sounds yummy doesnt it but thats ok white bread is less nutritious and has less vitamins than brown or wholemeal but thats ok too, they could have put the folic acid in there without telling anyone and you would only notice if you read the nutritional facts which is very rarely done!

There are hundreds of vitamins in hundreds of foods, Folic Acid never killed anyone it only helps you need it in everyday functioning.

I just say if it helps people to have more healthy babies and it is doing no harm to me then i cant see a problem at all in fact the more ways they can help to have healthy babies the better i say!

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I am not planning to have any babies and as I said in a previous post this is no reason for mass medication...there are people who are sensitive to folates and can have a reaction. They are not adding folic acid to wholemeal bread because it naturally contains folic acid. And they are adding it to ALL flour which means that anything with flour in it will have the added folate.
Pregnant women have a responsibility to their baby so they should make sure that they take the supplements that are offered. I do not want them in my bread thankyou.

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I think that you are missing the point MUMMIBOO. We all know that different foods contain various vitamins and minerals naturally and we all need them.

What is happening here is the proposal to add certain extra ingredients to foods that do not contain that extra naturally in order to help a very small minority of the population. That is just unacceptable and should never be allowed to happen under any circumstances.

There is absolutely nothing that you can say to justify such outrageous intentions.

Far more people suffer from ‘sticky’ blood so would you like a small dose of Warfarin in your food to try and ensure that you don’t suffer from blood clots?

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I found that the Doctor automatically gave me a prescription for Folic Acid anyway when pregnant, so what's the problem. ?? Maybe they do not do that now ?? .. 23 years ago since last time you understand.

Do ya' think it is cheaper to order food manufacturers to do this than hand out these prescriptions ?

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And they are adding it to ALL flour which means that anything with flour in it will have the added folate.
Pregnant women have a responsibility to their baby so they should make sure that they take the supplements that are offered. I do not want them in my bread thankyou.

They are not adding it to ALL flour they are NOT adding it to wholemeal flour!

And the whole point of adding the folic acid to the flour is because of the amount of unplanned pregnancies, folic acid should be taken before you even get pregnant if you are not planning a child then how would you know to take the suppliments?

http://news.scotsman.com/health.cfm?id=527052006

Read this i am not trying to change your mind or tell you what to eat or not to eat im am simply saying that i personally dont mind if they put Folic Acid in my flour!!

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Cornflakes dont contain it naturally either but nobody complains about that!

They can put warfarin in my food along with the pesticides they use on my veggies and the stuff they put in my food to make it have a longer shelf life, and the alcohol that i drink that will kill my liver and the passive smoking you give me that will kill my lungs!

Put a little of what is good for people in their food and people go up in arms! ban smoking in public places and people go up in arms and then theres the health sector going on about how unhealthy we have all become god forbid you ever get served sprouts!

I give up. :)

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I'm with Mummiboo on this. I can't see what the problem is. Any body would think the government had said they were going to put cyanid in our flour not something that's good for you.
If they just slipped it in without saying anything I don't think there would be such a fuss.
We happily eat food with E numbers in them and these can be more harmful than a little folic acid.
Simple change your bread to whole meal if you don't want to eat white bread that contains folic acid.

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so its back to good old home baking then,,,,,, cant beat it....

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Very true granny and it always tastes better yum yum. :D

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Not they are not adding to wholemeal flour because wholemeal flour by its very nature already contains folate......but all white flour will have folate added...so not only will you bread have the folate but all your home baking and bought pies and biscuits too......I do not wish to have this addition to my food, and I should be allowed to have the choice.
There was a report in the paper yesterday that Vitamin D reduces the risk of Breast cancer......is that going to be the next thing to be added to our food?
Where will the line be drawn. I have no qualms about some bread being enriched, but it should be clearly marked as such, but there should be a choice. I don't eat cornflakes or other breakfast cereals........and they are not something that is added to many other foods....Flour is used for many things. Mass medication cannot be right.

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Are the vitamin manufacturers going to take the folates out of Vitamin B Complex too?.......if not there will be folk suffering from overdose of folic acid.

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This vitamin minerals etc carry on with food is daft. I work shifts so to be sure of getting a proper RDA due to wierd eating times and habits I take vitamin suppliments every couple of days so at this rate the govenment could have me O/d'ing very easily!

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It is the principal of the government stripping away people's choice which irks me. Yes there are unplanned pregnancies, but whose fault is that??? There is no excuse for unplanned pregnancies these days, contaception works effectively when used properly. Women should not only be using the pill but also a barrier method too to prevent against STI's. The number of children affected by Spina Bifida is extremely small compared to the number of deliveries per year.
If the medical profession are worried enough to bring up the issue of B12 deficiency being masked by increased folic acid intake, then the number of people that this could potentially affect must also be of significance.

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According to todays paper there is to be more public consultation before any fortification of flour takes place. And in last nights LET three of the local MP's said they were against such measures.

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I do hope that the government consider this issue very seriously. They could be on a real sticky wicket if they go ahead with it. Folic Acid is classed as a drug. According to the British National Formulary, it should be given with caution in people with B12 deficiency as it can cause degeneration of the spinal cord in these people. It has not to be used in people with malignant disease. It interacts with the Epilepsy drug Phenytoin and can cause a plasma dilution of Phenytoin within the blood stream, therefore Phenytoin would be less effective at controlling fits.

Do the government wish to be sued by people experiencing increased epileptic fits due to unwanted folic acid supplementation???? If this was the USA, some lawyer would try it...

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And so they should. Recently the EU (a pox on their MPs) was considering banning vitamin supplements....and I don't agree with that either. We are adults and capable of making rational decisions for ourselves....and we take the appropriate responsibility for our actions.

Mass medication is the thin end of the wedge...and I trust this government not one jot, the next thing they could be putting in our food stuff or water could be something far more sinister.

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Quote:

Mass medication is the thin end of the wedge...and I trust this government not one jot, the next thing they could be putting in our food stuff or water could be something far more sinister.

I’ve been saying that all along Margaret Pilkington yet you still get some people agreeing to adding medicines to our food and water that will benefit the very few. You can bet your sweet life that in years to come when the public start to really rebel (and I don’t mean by noisy demonstrations) we will find tranquillisers in the water AND food.

Instead of clamping down on alcohol consumption and all the problems that, that brings the government extend the drinking hours. It wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that alcohol puddles the brain and prevents people from coherent thought, would it?

It wasn’t too long ago that some *!!* Minister wanted to implement a system where the bath/shower/hot tap water was not so hot that it could scald someone. What next? Central heating systems regulated to a standard temperature for all to prevent sensitive skinned people from burning themselves on the radiators?

This government driven by President (Dictator) Blair has taken one step too far down the ‘control the masses road’ and it is time that Joe and Josephine Public stood up to be counted.

The UKIP is rapidly becoming a viable alternative to the big three.

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The more we sit back and let it happen the more the govenment of the day will try regarless of which party is in power. We only complain when there is a possibility it will happen not at the start when it is thrown to others to debate. Is the information held back because they dont want us to know or is it they know we cant be bothered keeping up with whats going on until its to late?

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Yeah, okay, let's put anything in food the Government fancies. Too many strokes and heart attacks? - add a bit of Warfarin or Digoxin to the water supply. Never mind that people like me whose blood doesn't clot very well might die of haemorrhage. It might well benefit others. And it hasn't escaped me that this is the thin end - valium for the masses, anyone? After all, we live in a society prone to stress, it might do everybody some good to add a spot of diazepam to the drinking water. When we are all lying backwards, burbling at the sky, won't governing the country be easy!

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"When we are all lying backwards, burbling at the sky, won't governing the country be easy!"

Are we not doing that already due to the govenments inability to goven driving us mad? :p

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I think you could be right there Spuggie...cautions given for rape......muggers and petty criminals getting a slap on the wrist and perpetrators of domestic violence being let off if they show 'remorse' and promise to be good in the future....10 yearl olds put through the court process for name calling (possibly rascist...but name calling just the same) there is something very wrong with the judicial system of this country. No one seems to have any authority any more......and even some of the stories about those who are supposed to be upholding the law make your hair curl.

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We are told often enough not give our prescribed medicine to someone else even if they have the same symptoms yet that very wise edict is being ignored by the powers that be by of all people the secretary of health.

I see that the Fluoride debate has gone quiet but the introduction of Fluoride in the water is still on the agenda.

I’m sure that I didn’t dream this, but I heard on the box the other day that this government has introduced 80 new laws to exercise more control over the public.

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'A meeting of the Food Standards Agency this week is likely to sanction a 12-week consultation exercise, alongside consumer research.' - BBC News.