Caít Keane (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for coming to the House to respond to the motion I raise on the Adjournment, which is an important one relating to folic acid in the diet of pregnant and pre-pregnant women. It was a cause of alarm to many that a new study has found a rise in neural tube defects in babies, mainly spina bifida, since 2009. That is a worrying trend and should be considered in a policy review of the fortification of food with folic acid. It is important to educate people, in particular pre-pregnant women, of the importance of folic acid in their diet.

Folic acid is a form of vitamin B but it cannot be made by the body and must be taken either in dietary form or as a supplement. The dietary form of folic acid is preferable but supplements must be considered for those who do not get it their diet. Foods rich in folic acid reduce the risk of having neural tube defects. The incidence of neural tube defects is higher in Ireland than in any other European country. The relative deficiency of folic acid in our diet contributes to the situation. The information is from a new study but such facts have been known for years. The recommended intake is 400 mg and sources include leafy green vegetables such as cabbage or cauliflower. For those who do not get folic acid through their diet, it is vital that they are aware they must take it in supplement form if necessary.

The new study by Professor Michael Turner from UCD’s centre for human reproduction has found that there has been an increase in neural tube defects in this country. There is clearly not enough awareness of the significance of folic acid in the diet of pregnant women or those who intend to become pregnant. At least one case a week of neural tube defect arises in newborns in Ireland and the trend must be reversed. One must take into account the suffering for the families of children who are born with a neural tube defect. Health economics must be taken into account as well as the suffering and social effects. The burden of the disease that falls on the child, the family and also on the health system must be examined.

The study in question in UCD and the HSE Eurocrat Register concluded that the recession could have an impact on women's ability to get folic acid naturally in food such as fruits and vegetables, especially women from a lower socio-economic background.

Education for young girls, pre-pregnant women and mothers is vital to ensure they receive sufficient folic acid, whether naturally through foods bought in shops or otherwise. More than 50 countries, including the United States, have mandatory folic acid fortification in foods such as flour. The Government reversed a decision on food fortification in 2008 owing to a falling rate of neural tube defects. However, the rate is increasing again and stands at more than one case per week, which is too many. A new study has revealed that the number of cases increased from 70 in 2009 to 87 in 2011, which is a significant increase, especially as the condition is preventable. It is possible that these 87 children would have been born without neural tube defects if their mothers had taken folic acid either prior to pregnancy or in the early months of pregnancy. The Government must not ignore this issue. I ask the Minister to review current policy on adding folic acid to food and to initiate a public health campaign to promote pre-conception folic acid intake. As I noted, 50 countries have a mandatory folic acid fortification policy.