Folic acid fortification of food: Health effects and next steps
Folic acid and the fortification of food has received lots of attention over the years, with the topic being reactivated more recently. Over 30 years ago it was found that folic acid supplementation of mothers in early pregnancy could protect against neural tube defects (NTDs). In September 2021 the UK government mandated fortification of flour with folic acid, and the same decision is now being deliberated in Ireland, where NTD’s are amongst some of the highest in the world. Join Professor Helene McNulty as she discusses the evidence behind such policies, and what the next steps are in ensuring that the benefits of folic acid can be achieved by mothers and their babies in a safe way.
What will I learn?
- Gain knowledge on the contribution of folate to human health
- Determine the effects of folic acid intervention, and what works
- Understand the challenges of translating science into policy, and policy into practice
Curriculum
- 1 Section
- 2 Lessons
- Lifetime
- The health effects of folic acid fortification in food2
Instructor
Helene McNulty is Director of nutrition research (NICHE) and Professor of Human Nutrition and Dietetics at Ulster University, and is a registered dietitian by professional training.
Helene is an elected Member of the Royal Irish Academy (since 2008), Fellow of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (since 2017), and was co-Chair of the 13th FENS European Nutrition Conference Dublin (Oct 2019). Helene’s research programme is aimed at providing greater understanding of nutrition-related health through the lifecycle and contributing to food and health policy internationally. She has particular expertise in micronutrients and has published extensively in the field of folate and metabolically related B vitamins, building impacts from early to late life and frequently delivering keynote presentations at scientific conferences worldwide.
In her academic role, Helene is actively involved in teaching and programme administration at undergraduate and masters levels in Food, Nutrition & Dietetics, and is fully committed to the integration of research and teaching. To date she has supervised 35 PhD students to successful completion.
