Hi all,

I found this most interesting development (see below) from http://www.f1000medicine.com/html/about/medicine/press/update3a.html 
. Would it be nice if the same kind of thinking (ie "can we justify  
the exposure of the whole population") applied to the mandatory  
supplementation with Vit D because of a few at-risk babies?

Nicole Bernshaw

Rethinking Folic Acid Fortification
As far back as 1931, the benefits of folic acid were first highlighted  
when pregnant women were encouraged to take supplements in order to  
prevent anaemia. Subsequent years led to the discovery of further  
possible health benefits of the supplement and, in 1998, the US made  
folic acid fortification mandatory in order to reduce the incidence of  
neural tube defects (NTDs).
However, as pointed out in a recent study highlighted this month  
byYoung-In Kim of the Gastroenterology & Hepatology Faculty, the  
fortification coincided with an increase in incidences of colorectal  
cancer. Young-In explains that the "The most serious adverse effect of  
folic acid supplementation and fortification is the tumor-promoting  
effect on the progression of (pre)neoplastic lesions."
He asks: "can we justify the exposure of the whole population to a  
substance that undoubtedly prevents a proportion of cases of  
relatively rare diseases but may increase the risk of much more common  
diseases?" and concludes by saying that: "Future debate and decision  
regarding folic acid fortification should take into consideration all  
potential adverse effects and dose-response of such a measure because  
it may be associated with potentially very serious consequences for  
many generations. In addition to careful monitoring of adverse  
effects, preclinical and population-based studies are warranted to  
determine efficacy, safety, and potential deleterious effects of folic  
acid fortification and supplementation on cancer risk and other health  
outcomes."

             ***********************************************

Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome