ArticleNutrients2020
Folic Acid Fortification and Neural Tube Defect Risk: Analysis of the Food Fortification Initiative Dataset.
Article in Nutrients, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers, 3 of them syntheses 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
34 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 60 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effectiveness of mandatory folic acid fortification compared with pre-fortification periods on reducing neural tube defects (NTDs): a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC nutrition · 2026Pooled it
- Consumption of folic acid fortified foods among Hispanic women of reproductive age in the US: a systematic review.BMC public health · 2025Pooled it
- Maternal folic acid supplementation and the risk of ankyloglossia (tongue-tie) in infants; a systematic review.PloS one · 2023Pooled it
- Maternal serum unmetabolized folic acid concentration following multivitamin and mineral supplementation with or without folic acid after 12 weeks gestation: A randomized controlled trial.Maternal & child nutrition · 2024Trial
- Reassessing Mandatory Folic Acid Fortification for Neural Tube Defect Prevention: Evidence, Uncertainty, and Policy Implications.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Folate Status Shaped by Taste Receptor Genetics and Sociobehavioral Modulation: Evidence from a Hungarian Cohort.Nutrients · 2026Article
- The association between visceral fat accumulation caused by high-dose folic acid supplementation in the first trimester and gestational diabetes mellitus: protocol for a nested case-control study in a cohort study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- Fortification with folic acid and early human embryo development: lessons from assisted reproduction.Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics · 2025Article
- Biological, dietetic and pharmacological properties of vitamin BNPJ science of food · 2025Review
- Digital tools and technologies used in food fortification: A scoping review.Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 2025Article
- High-dose folic acid use and cancer risk in women who have given birth: A register-based cohort study.Epilepsia · 2025Article
- Review
- Article
- Folate and Vitamin B12 Levels in Chilean Women with PCOS and Their Association with Metabolic Outcomes.Nutrients · 2024Article
- Prevalence of neural tube defect and its identification during antenatal period: a cross-sectional study in eastern Indian state.BMJ open · 2024Article
- Associations of Folate/Folic Acid Supplementation Alone and in Combination With Other B Vitamins on Dementia Risk and Brain Structure: Evidence From 466 224 UK Biobank Participants.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2024Article
- Metabolomic Effects of Folic Acid Supplementation in Adults: Evidence from the FACT Trial.The Journal of nutrition · 2024Article
- Prevalence, trend, and associated risk factors for cleft lip with/without cleft palate: a national study on live births from 2016 to 2021.BMC oral health · 2024Article
- Maternal Smoking during Pregnancy and its effects on Neural Tube Defects.Iranian journal of child neurology · 2024Article
- Intended and Unintended Benefits of Folic Acid Fortification-A Narrative Review.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
The United States implemented mandatory fortification of cereal grains with folic acid in 1998 to prevent neural tube defects (NTDs) during pregnancy. The health benefits of folate (vitamin B9) are well documented; however, there are potential risks of exceeding the upper tolerable limit, particularly in vulnerable populations. We conducted a population-based analysis of the Food Fortification Initiative dataset to determine the strength of the evidence regarding reports of decreased NTDs at the national level in response to mandatory folic acid fortification of cereal grains. We found a very weak correlation between NTD prevalence and the level of folic acid fortification, irrespective of the cereal grain fortified (wheat, maize or rice). Stratification of the data based on socioeconomic status (SES) indicated a strong linear relationship between reduced NTDs and better SES. We conclude that national fortification with folic acid is not associated with a significant decrease in the prevalence of NTDs at the population level.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.