Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36653503›Full record

ReviewChild's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery2023

Mandatory fortification with folic acid for the prevention of neural tube defects: a case study of Australia and New Zealand.

Lyall Thurston, Barry Borman, Carol Bower

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Alternative protein-based foods must contribute to micronutrient adequacy.Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand · 2025
    Article
  5. Observational
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Lyall Thurston, Rotorua, New Zealand.
Barry BormanEnvironmental Health Intelligence NZ and the NZ Congenital Anomalies Register, Massey University-Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.
Carol BowerTelethon Kids Institute, Nedlands, Australia. carol.bower@telethonkids.org.au.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeTo present a case study of the considerations of mandatory fortification with folic acid in Australia and New Zealand.

methodsReview of published reports and consumer advocacy views.

resultsAustralia and New Zealand jointly approved mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid to prevent neural tube defects in 2007. Fortification was fully implemented in Australia in 2009 and has resulted in reduction in NTD. At the last minute, industry lobbying led to the New Zealand government not proceeding with fortification. With continued consumer advocacy, mounting scientific evidence, and a change of government, approval was given in 2021 for mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid.

conclusionIn large part as a response to consumer pressure, New Zealand has now joined with Australia (and around 70 other countries) in fortifying flour with folic acid for the prevention of NTD.

Indexed as

Folic AcidNeural Tube DefectsAustraliaFood, FortifiedHumansNew ZealandFolic AcidAustaliaConsumer advocacyFolic acidMandatory fortificationNeural tube defectsNew Zealand

Identifiers

PMID36653503
PMCPMC10290585

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

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.