The Food and Drug Administration agreed Thursday to allow folic acid to be added to corn flour, a move that could possibly prevent birth defects like those plaguing central Washington.
Over the last six years more than 40 babies have been lost to anencephaly in central Washington, a rate that’s considerably higher than the national average.
A cause for the high rate hasn't been pinned down, but taking folic acid during pregnancy is known to prevent the disorder. Anecephaly affects the brain and spinal chord. Babies with this birth defect don't have fully developed brains or skulls.
Folic acid has been added to wheat and rice flours for decades. Now it can be added to corn flour — a staple grain for Hispanics, many of whom live in Central Washington. The Hispanic population sees the highest rates of the birth defects that folic acid can prevent.
Congresswoman Jamie Herrera Beutler, said the FDA's decision is a real win.
“We see these types of defects are higher in Hispanic populations, and so it makes sense to allow for the fortification, allow for the folic acid to be put in there,” she said.
Since folic acid was added to wheat and rice flours, the rate of birth defects across the nation has dropped precipitously.
