Birth Trauma Lawyers Explore Nutrition Patterns
Premature birth is the leading obstetric concern in the U.S. today. In humans, birth normally occurs at about 40 weeks, so a premature birth is any birth occurring earlier than the 37th week. In 2012, there were over 450,000 babies born preterm, and the estimated annual medical costs to care for these infants hovers just north of $26 billion.
In 2012, almost a quarter of all U.S. births were to Hispanic women, and over 11 percent of those births were preterm.
What is causing the Latino population to have significantly higher birth defect rates? One of the factors being cited for this anomaly may be related to food and nutrition.
Neural tube defects (NTDs) are birth defects of the brain and spine, such as spina bifida and anencephaly, which often cause disability. There have been significant declines in NTDs across most ethnic groups in recent years, and the primary reason is the introduction of folic acid fortification in the United States. Folic acid (folate) aids in cell growth and DNA repair.
Folic acid fortification is the process by which our folate levels are increased through the addition of folic acid to different kinds of wheat flour.
The decision to add folic acid to flour only came as a side benefit of the 1990 Nutrition Labeling and Education Act, which required nutrition labeling, nutrient content claims and health claims to meet FDA regulations.
In spite of the success of the folic acid fortification program, NTD rates have actually increased among births to Hispanic women.
The reason is startlingly simple and yet extremely surprising: folic acid fortification was applied to enriched breads, cereals, flours, corn meals, pastas, rice, and many other grain products, but not to masa—the corn-based flour used to make tortillas, tamales, pupusas, arepas and many other staples of the Latin American diet.
When folic acid fortification was first announced, masa was left out of the FDA’s list of affected grains because it was far less common. But our Latino population has jumped in the last twenty years from about 31 million to over 53 million.
Corn masa consumption has climbed accordingly, with an estimated 85 billion corn tortillas eaten in this country every year.
The obvious answer is to add corn masa to the list of folic acid fortification grains, but unfortunately, expensive testing is needed before any FDA approval happens. The estimated cost of nurturing a child with a neural tube defect, however, is more than $700,000, which more than rationalizes the cost of the testing.
A petition calling for folic acid fortification of corn masa has been gathering dust with the FDA for over two years. It is unfathomable that such a large portion of our population has been deprived of an obviously beneficial health benefit. The FDA has a responsibility to adopt this change immediately to prevent future generations from absolutely avoidable birth defects.
How Do I Know if a Birth Defect was Caused by Medical Malpractice?
Although this situation is unusual, some birth defects are eminently avoidable and are, in fact, the result of hospital error. If your family has suffered because of a birth injury, you may be entitled to compensation. At Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP, our experienced birth trauma lawyers can help you retrieve the compensation you deserve. Contact us today.
Source: http://www.marchofdimes.com/Peristats/pdflib/991/MOD_2014HispanicReport.pdf
