by Professor Carol Bower, The Kids
Research can be something of a roller coaster ride. One moment you're battling frustration when months, perhaps years of hard work fail to produce the results you were expecting or hoping for, and the next moment you are standing on the cusp of a research finding that has the potential to change the health and well-being of Australian generations.
For Professor Fiona Stanley (Founder of The Kids) and myself, that moment came in 1989 when our research revealed the key role of dietary folate in reducing the number of babies born with neural tube defects.
Neural tube defects are birth defects of the brain or spinal cord. They happen usually in the first month of pregnancy even before many women know they are expecting. Anencephaly is one form of neural tube defect where the brain and skull don't properly develop and babies born with this disorder don't survive. Spina Bifida is the other well-known neural tube defect where the fetal spinal column doesn't close properly and children are often left paralysed.
There is no cure for spina bifida but the research that Fiona and I conducted went on add weight to the best argument yet on how to prevent this crippling condition.
24 years ago we were able to show that mothers with high folate levels had low rates of neural tube defects, and this contributed to worldwide research showing that neural tube defects could be reduced by up to 70% with enough folate in very early pregnancy. It was a significant finding and it meant that we now had the knowledge to tackle this condition and more importantly reduce the risk of kids being born with a severe disability.
Following this discovery, we worked on education campaigns to encourage women to improve their folate intake either through supplements or by choosing folate-rich foods, and whilst some progress was made the real breakthrough came in 2007 when Australian federal and state governments agreed to introduce the compulsory enrichment of bread-making flour with folate. Our research played a critical part in the government reaching this decision.
What this means is that all bread (wheat flour) products made in Australia are now folate-fortified and this has two key health benefits:
- The most obvious is the benefit to pregnant women. A baby's growth is most rapid in the first weeks of life and often before you even know you're pregnant. Having folate in our everyday food means your baby is better protected from the very beginning, although additional folate supplements are also recommended if trying to fall pregnant or once you know you are.
- As well as reducing the risk of neural tube defects, folate has also been linked to general health benefits in all ages including a possible reduction in the risk of some cancers and improved cardiovascular health.
So what is Folate?
Folate is an essential dietary vitamin. 'Folate' is the term given to the version that is found naturally in foods and 'folic acid' is the man-made supplement that can be added to food products or taken as a tablet.
Doctors recommend that adults have 400 micrograms (mcg) of folate daily and 600 mcg for women during pregnancy. A balanced healthy diet combining fortified and natural folate foods should provide the base essentials though women of child bearing age are encouraged to take supplements (500mcg a day) if there is a chance they may fall pregnant.
If you're not sure if the manufactured product you are buying is folate-fortified you can always check the Nutrition panel on food labels. You do need to be aware that even though the majority of wheat-breads in Australia have folic acid added to them some organic brands do not.
Our research continues
While our initial research helped us make this significant breakthrough in combatting neural tube defects, our work into preventing the condition continues. We are now researching the effectiveness of folate-fortified products by monitoring the levels of folate in the blood and the rates of neural tube defects through the WA Register of Developmental Anomalies.
To find out more about Folate research or any of the other research projects being undertaken by The Kids. Find out more about the WA Register of Developmental Anomalies