Explore the rich history and role of refined grain enrichment and fortification in improving public health.
Folic acid
Grains Contribute Shortfall Nutrients and Nutrient Density to Older US Adults: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2011–2014 (April 2018)
The 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans have identified several shortfall nutrients in the U.S. population, including fiber, folate, and iron (women only). Intake of some shortfall nutrients can be even lower in older adults. The present analyses determined the contribution of grain foods for energy and nutrients in older U.S. adults and ranked to all other food sources in the American diet.
Low carbohydrate diets may increase risk of neural tube defects (January 2018)
Folic acid fortification has significantly reduced neural tube defects (NTDs) in the U.S., but the rise of low-carbohydrate diets raises concerns about adequate folic acid intake among women avoiding fortified foods.
Anaemia prevalence may be reduced among countries that fortify flour (July 2015)
This study evaluated national-level data to determine whether fortifying wheat and maize flour with nutrients like iron, folic acid, vitamin A, or vitamin B12 reduced anaemia prevalence among non-pregnant women. Data were sourced from Demographic and Health Survey reports, the WHO Vitamin and Mineral Nutrition Information System database, and other national nutrition surveys from countries with at least two anaemia assessments.
Modeling Changes in Daily Grain Foods Intake: An Analysis to Determine the Impact on Nutrient Intakes in Comparison to the USDA Ideal Food Pattern (April 2015)
Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) encourage increased whole grains (WG) and dietary fiber intake while limiting refined grains (RG). This study modeled how different grain food patterns affect nutrient and energy intakes compared to USDA ideal and typical food patterns within a 2,000 kcal/day diet.
