October is National Spina Bifida Awareness Month and I am pleased to take this opportunity to highlight the importance of folic acid in preventing this serious birth defect and to raise awareness about the needs of people living with spina bifida in our communities.

It is estimated that three thousand babies are born in the United States each year with a serious birth defect of the brain or spine called a neural tube defect.  Spina bifida - the most common neural tube defect - is the leading cause of childhood paralysis.  There are approximately 70 thousand people in the United States currently living with this permanently disabling birth defect.

Spina bifida can be accompanied by significant social, emotional and financial burdens.  But with proper medical and family care, people affected by spina bifida can live productive lives with the help of braces and/or a wheelchair. The key to a better life for Americans who live with spina bifida is research and improved quality-of-life, and this goal must be a national priority.

Along with developing new methods for treatment and care, a critical effort must also be aimed at prevention.  According to the United States Public Health Service, a daily dose of 400 micrograms of folic acid taken from puberty through a woman's child-bearing years has been scientifically proven in most pregnancies to prevent spina bifida, a leading cause of childhood paralysis.  In response to research that showed the incidence of spina bifida could be reduced by up to 75 percent with the addition of folic acid in a woman's diet, I introduced the Folic Acid Promotion and Birth Defects Prevention Act, which was passed into law as part of the Children's Health Act of 2000.  This Act authorized a program within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide professional and public education for folic acid awareness. 

The good news is that progress has been made in educating women about the importance of consuming folic acid supplements and maintaining diets rich in folic acid.  The Food and Drug Administration, for example, responded to the need to increase consumption in the general population by requiring the addition of folic acid to enriched grain products like bread and cereal.  While new evidence shows that the current fortification level of grains is not adequate for full protection against birth defects, it is important to note that we have made significant strides over the past 10 years to increase the consumption of folic acid. 

However, the majority of women in this country are still not aware of the benefits of folic acid, and only 40 percent of women ages 18 to 45 take a daily vitamin with the recommended level of folic acid.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the rate of spina bifida in the Latino population is almost seven in 10 thousand births, nearly 40 percent higher than the non-Hispanic rate.  And tragically, Hispanic women continue to have the lowest reported folic acid consumption of any racial or ethnic group.

To that end, I am happy to report that Gruma - one of the world's largest producers of corn flour and tortillas - has begun researching and conducting product testing with a year-end goal of enriching with folic acid its corn products sold in the United States.  Imported corn flours - unlike most wheat flour and cereal products - are currently not enriched with folic acid.  This important voluntary action by Gruma has significant implications for improving the health and well-being of the Latino community in this country.

I would also like to highlight the role of the Spina Bifida Association.  The Spina Bifida Association is an organization that has helped those affected by this debilitating disease for more than 30 years and is the nation's only organization solely dedicated to advocating on behalf of the spina bifida community. With almost 57 chapters in more than 125 communities, the association brings families together to answer questions, voice concerns, and lend support to one another.

Together, the association and its various local chapters work tirelessly to help families living with spina bifida meet the challenges and enjoy the rewards of raising their children.  I thank the association's local chapters for all they do to advance the needs of the spina bifida community.

We have come a long way in the prevention of new incidences of spina bifida, as well as in the treatment and care of those individuals impacted by this serious birth defect.  But there is still much more to do. 

As our nation observes National Spina Bifida Awareness Month, we must commit ourselves to the goals of increased prevention, expanded health education, more thorough research, and improved quality of life for all those living with spina bifida. 
 

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