Hospitals have been contacted by the folic acid strategy steering group regarding the possible data collection of the folate status of young women, the Medical Independent (MI) has learned.
The issue was discussed at the June meeting of the steering group.
According to meeting minutes, group members were told that consultant pathologists and clinical biochemists in hospitals had been “reached out to… obtain data on folate levels within the Irish population of young women”.
“There is strong evidence to show that women are not meeting the appropriate levels of serum folate to prevent NTDs [neural tube defects], with up to 50 per cent having insufficient levels and almost 10 per cent being deficient,” the minutes state.
The Department of Health spokesperson told MI that a working subgroup, created by the steering group, is focused on data collection for surveillance, to determine the feasibility of collecting data across Ireland in a sustainable framework.
“There is currently a lack of published data around population folate status in Ireland,” said the spokesperson.
The Department has, therefore, consulted “with a number of biochemists from teaching hospitals” to investigate potential data collection processes.
As an initial step, the biochemists were asked to look at anonymised datasets of levels of folate in women aged 15-45 years that had already been analysed at their lab.
“This work is not complete and analysis and interpretation are ongoing.”
The spokesperson said that the purpose of collecting this data in collaboration with regional hospitals is to determine suitability for determining population folate levels within a target group (in this case women aged 15-45) and the feasibility of future monitoring.
“The Department, in collaboration with clinical colleagues, plans to investigate this further and collate relevant evidence.”
The spokesperson added that options for future promotion and awareness campaigns on the advantages of increased folic acid consumption are being considered by the steering group.
These will be informed by the group’s findings on the development of a new strategy aimed at reducing the incidence of NTDs in Ireland through higher folic acid consumption. The spokesperson said that one of the recommendations in the 2019 Folic Acid Supplementation Report is to plan appropriate information campaigns for the general public and healthcare professionals.
In September, MI reported that the final report of the steering group is due to be published in 2026. The steering group is leading the development of an overarching strategy to reduce the incidence of NTDs through “increased intake of folic acid to improve blood folate levels in women of childbearing age”. The group is supported by an expert advisory panel and four working groups.
A Department spokesperson commented: “On completion of its work and the work of the subgroups, the steering group will produce a final report for the attention of the Minister, recommending the preferred option(s) to meet the overall objective of improving folic acid uptake to reduce NTDs in Ireland and action plans to progress the recommendations.”
In 2019, a folic acid policy committee convened by the Department made recommendations to help prevent NTDs, including consideration of the requirements for food fortification.
Folic acid deficiency is a leading cause of NTDs, which can result in a number of serious conditions to babies in the womb, including spina bifida. In the UK, the fortification of non-wholemeal wheat flour with folic acid will be legally required from December 2026. It is estimated that this will reduce NTDs by 20 per cent and improve the health of pregnant women.
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