ArticleBirth defects research. Part A, Clinical and molecular teratology2013
Estimate of the potential impact of folic acid fortification of corn masa flour on the prevention of neural tube defects.
Article in Birth defects research. Part A, Clinical and molecular teratology, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Fortification of wheat and maize flour with folic acid for population health outcomes.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Pooled it
- The Neural Tube CURE: Engaging undergraduate students in a relevant developmental biology research course.Developmental biology · 2025Review
- Review
- Advanced Dietary Analysis and Modeling: A Deep Dive into the National Cancer Institute Method.The Journal of nutrition · 2022Article
- Folic Acid and the Prevention of Birth Defects: 30 Years of Opportunity and Controversies.Annual review of nutrition · 2022Review
- Introduction to the SIMPLE Macro, a Tool to Increase the Accessibility of 24-Hour Dietary Recall Analysis and Modeling.The Journal of nutrition · 2021Article
- Factors Influencing Low Prevalence of Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Among US Hispanic/Latino Children.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2019Article
- Adding folic acid to corn Masa flour: Partnering to improve pregnancy outcomes and reduce health disparities.Preventive medicine · 2018Review
- Folic Acid Education for Hispanic Women: The Promotora de Salud Model.Journal of women's health (2002) · 2017Article
- Retrospective Assessment of Cost Savings From Prevention: Folic Acid Fortification and Spina Bifida in the U.S.American journal of preventive medicine · 2016Article
- Challenges in Studying Modifiable Risk Factors for Birth Defects.Current epidemiology reports · 2015Article
- Congenital Malformations and Consequential Epidemiology.Current epidemiology reports · 2015Article
- Updated estimates of neural tube defects prevented by mandatory folic Acid fortification - United States, 1995-2011.MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report · 2015Article
- Fortification of corn masa flour with folic acid in the United States: an overview of the evidence.Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 2014Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundHispanics in the US have a higher prevalence of neural tube defect (NTD) -affected pregnancies than non-Hispanic whites, and lower median total folic acid (FA) intake. FA fortification of corn masa flour (CMF) is a policy-level intervention for NTD prevention; however, the impact on NTD prevalence has not been estimated.
methodsWe developed a model to estimate the percentage reduction in prevalence of spina bifida and anencephaly (NTDs) that could occur with FA fortification of CMF. Model inputs included estimates of the percentage reduction in United States NTD prevalence attributed to FA fortification of enriched cereal grain products (1995-1996 vs. 1998-2002), the increase in median FA intake after enriched cereal grain product fortification, and the estimated increase in median FA intake that could occur with CMF fortification at the same level as enriched cereal grain products (140 μg/100 g). We used Monte Carlo simulation to quantify uncertainty. We stratified analyses by racial/ethnic group and rounded results to the nearest 10.
resultsWe estimated CMF fortification could prevent 30 Hispanic infants from having spina bifida (95% uncertainty interval: 0, 80) and 10 infants from having anencephaly (95% uncertainty interval: 0, 40) annually. The estimated impact among non-Hispanic whites and blacks was smaller.
conclusionCMF fortification with FA could prevent from 0 to 120 infants, with the most likely value of approximately 40, from having spina bifida or anencephaly among Hispanics, the population most likely to benefit from the proposed intervention. While this estimated reduction is unlikely to be discernible using current birth defect surveillance methods, it still suggests an important benefit to the target population.
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Registered trials
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