https://thelightpaper.co.uk/assets/issues/Light-73-Sept-26-Web-Final.pdf?v=1789890761
Major health risks associated with synthetic folic acid in food by ANNE JORDAN
THE government is mandating the addition of synthetic folic acid (SFA) to all non-wholemeal wheat flour from December 13. SFA is a synthetic form of folate which is found occurring naturally in leafy greens, lentils, chickpeas, beans, brussels sprouts, beets, eggs and citrus fruits.
However, SFA does not have the same chemical structure as folate and can accumulate in the liver unmetabolised, along with other major health risks. From December 13, folic acid will be in bread, pastries, pies, cakes, biscuits, doughnuts, breakfast cereals, pizza bases, pasta and many more foods. To avoid consuming it will be virtually impossible.
The government’s sole reason for this addition is because folate deficiency is supposedly a known cause of neural tube process or treatment with intent that it shall be sold for human consumption, shall be guilty of an offence Best switch to wholemeal from December 13 defects (NTDs) in pregnancy.
NTDs can cause several serious conditions to babies in the womb, including spina bifida. In the UK, it is estimated that fortifying non-wholemeal wheat flour with folic acid will reduce NTD rates by around 20 per cent. There are currently around 750 cases of NTD per year, so this could prevent approximately 150 babies being affected.
The NHS guidlines for those who cannot take SFA are those who have ever had an allergic reaction to SFA or any other medicine; have low vitamin B12 levels or pernicious anaemia; have cancer; have a coronary stent; are having a type of kidney dialysis called haemodialysis would not even know.
There has been no debate in parliament about this and the NHS was not consulted during the consultation period. Worryingly, there is very little awareness out there among the general public of this mandate so those who cannot take SFA The maximum recommended dosage according to the British National Formulary is 500 microgrammes per day. This will be easily exceeded by eating a high carb diet, which is generally associated with lower income families.
The government has ignored The Food Safety Act 1990 Section 7 which states: anybody who renders any food injurious to health by means of any of the following operations namely:
- Adding any article or substance to the food
- Using any article or substance as an ingredient in the preparation of food
- Abstracting any constituent from the food
- Subjecting the food to any other In summary, the government is mandating SFA to be added to non-wholemeal wheat flour in a major staple food with all the associated health risks attached, and to the entire population, solely to possibly avoid 150 babies a year suffering from NTD.
- Petition: https://tinyurl.com/yhmm4jyr
- www.legislation.gov.uk: Food Safety Act 1990
How Folic Acid Differs From Natural Folate
The distinction between folic acid and folate is more than just a naming difference. They have different chemical structures that affect how your body handles them. Natural folates in food are “reduced” molecules, meaning they carry extra hydrogen atoms, and they come attached to several glutamate residues (small amino acid chains).
Folic acid, by contrast, is fully oxidized and contains only a single glutamate residue.
This matters because folic acid has no biological activity on its own. Your body cannot use it until enzymes in the liver convert it into the active folate forms your cells actually need. Natural food folates are already in a reduced state, so they enter metabolic pathways more directly. The tradeoff is that folic acid is considerably more bioavailable than food folates at equivalent doses.
Your gut absorbs a higher percentage of folic acid than it does the folate in spinach or lentils, partly because food folates are less stable and can break down during cooking and digestion.
