""It's such a small effort for such a tremendous impact," said Lopez, 44, who lives in Bakersfield and is now a lawyer with two young daughters. "There is very little that I wouldn't do to spare anybody this heartache.""
""All women and children in the United States should have access to folic acid and have healthy babies," said Scott Montgomery, the group's director."
"Decades of research show the 1998 requirement cut rates of serious defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly by about 30%, preventing about 1,300 cases a year."
"But corn masa flour, a staple used in Latino diets, was left out of the original fortification requirement - and rates of conditions such as spina bifida and anencephaly in that community have remained high."
California has mandated the addition of folic acid to corn masa flour, a staple in Latino diets, to combat high rates of neural tube defects among Latino infants. This law, effective in January, follows decades of research showing that folic acid fortification in other foods has significantly reduced serious birth defects. Similar legislation is being considered in several other states, aiming to ensure all women and children have access to this crucial vitamin for healthier pregnancies.
Read at Los Angeles Times
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]