Bread (Photo credit: ulterior epicure)[/caption]I was reminded today when reading an article about Folic acid in bread to 'reduces' birth risks - Folic acid in bread 'reduces' birth risks - National - NZ Herald News.
I'm always been against Fluoridation of Water, for example, and in the last couple of years there has been a bit of a push to mandate the addition of folic acid additive into all bread for everyone all the time, so that a few can benefit.
I'm pro-vaccination. My children have all theirs, I have all mine, I even get a flu jab every year, even though the flu it's likely to prevent won't be the one I get, I've had Mumps, measles, chicken-pox and possibly a few others. We eradicated Polio by vaccination, vaccinations are good. They don't give you downs syndrome, autism, kill you or maim you. If you'd like to argue that they do bring your best arguments to the table, you'll go home hungry.
But I'm against mass medication as a principle. There was a time that arriving in New Zealand from Overseas the cabin-crew would walk though the aircraft with a couple of "flea-bomb" cans and spray the whole cabin from top to bottom, everything, everyone. They don't do it now. (Probably sneak it in some who during the flight - who knows?)
from the repeated bit in the Herald today then
it also found wide variations in the amounts of folic acid in the bread samples - most commonly too little....
Professor Skeaff said yesterday voluntary fortification of bread had contributed to the women's improved folate status, but just how much was unclear because of the concurrent increase in the number of breakfast cereals and other foods that had folic acid added to them.
"Folate status is improving through voluntary fortification, but there's no doubt mandatory [fortification] will improve it more. It will likely reach a lot more women because instead of just being approximately 30 per cent of breads, it will be all breads.
So if it's in cereals, why does it need to be all breads, and are they sure that every pregnant woman will eat 3 slices of uniformly medicated bread a day. Why no just give pregnant women packets of cereals and dietary advice. Why not do that? Why do I a middle aged man, who's being hectored to eat whole grains all the time also need Folic acid? How is this compatible with a green and health lifestyle. Doesn't whole grain bread have Folic acid in it? WTF!
Being a bit more specific though;
There were 63180 live births registered in New Zealand in the March 2011. The Poplulation of NZ is give or take 4.2 million. The birth rate is in fact falling.
That would be 0.015 % of the population being pregnant then, that the 99.985 of non-pregnant people have to have a involuntary additive in their diet. That's why I don't like it, and that's why I'm against it. This isn't a pack health issue, this is about an interest group forcing something on everyone.
Oh I'm not about to start a Facebook page, or write a letter to the TV Guide or petition against the addition, it's just that in this instance the emotive nature of the argument makes we uneasy. I'm not dismissive of the number of children that have a birth defect, that's not my point, I'm not dismissive of the fact that in some cases folic acid may have been beneficial, some being the word of note.
Perhaps they should just add Folic acid into cigarettes, take-away food and soft-drinks. Problem solved.
Related articles
- Folic Acid (cooloasis.wordpress.com)
- Fortifying Corn Masa Flour With Folic Acid Could Help Prevent Birth Defects Of The Brain And Spine Among Hispanic Babies (medicalnewstoday.com)
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