[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 5 (Tuesday, January 25, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E78-E79]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            COMMEMORATING NATIONAL FOLIC ACID AWARENESS WEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DAN BURTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 25, 2005

  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
observance of America's first annual National Folic Acid Awareness Week 
which began this past Monday January 24, 2005. The theme of National 
Folic Acid Awareness Week--``Folic Acid: You Don't Know What You're 
Missing!'' is especially timely given the increasing popularity of low 
or no-carbohydrate diets. Since 1998, the U.S. Food and Drug 
Administration has required the addition of folic acid to enriched 
breads, cereals, flours, pastas, rice and other grain products. 
Consequently, people, particularly women, on these low-carb diets may 
in fact not be getting the appropriate daily allowance of the essential 
vitamins and minerals necessary for health and well being.
  Folic Acid--a B-vitamin--is in particular critical for proper cell 
growth, and it has been scientifically proven to prevent certain birth 
defects of the brain and spine called Neural

[[Page E79]]

Tube Defects (NTD), which occurs very early in pregnancy, before most 
women even know they are pregnant. The most common NTDs are Spina 
Bifida, lack of closure in the spinal column, and Anencephaly, a 
condition where only a portion of the brain forms. Seventy thousand 
people are living with Spina Bifida today; it is the most common 
permanently disabling condition in America. Children born with Spina 
Bifida suffer from a myriad of problems, including: paralysis, fluid on 
the brain, learning difficulties and depression. Those affected with 
Anencephaly are usually stillborn or die soon after birth.
  It is sobering to think that as much as seventy percent of the 
incidence of NTDs could be prevented if women of childbearing age 
simply took a 400 microgram pill of folic acid every day. I am hopeful 
that programs like the National Folic Acid Awareness Week which stress 
the importance of a healthy diet combined with a daily folic acid pill, 
we can prevent many of the 2,500 to 3,000 babies born every year with 
NTDs.
  As an added bonus, emerging research also indicates that folic acid 
might reduce the risk of other birth defects such as cleft lip, cleft 
palate and heart defects. It might even reduce the risk of 
cardiovascular disease and colon, cervical, and breast cancer. So 
taking adequate amounts of folic acid can in fact be beneficial for men 
and woman of all ages.
  Mr. Speaker, the most precious of our American treasures is our 
children. I believe it is incumbent upon us policy makers to encourage 
not only those we know and love, but all Americans, to eat foods rich 
in folic acid such as, bananas, fresh spinach, and orange juice. We owe 
it to future generations to do all we can to give them a head start on 
a healthy life devoid of pain and suffering. So I ask my colleagues to 
join me in promoting the message of National Folic Acid Awareness Week, 
and to make the commitment to work, not only this week but every week, 
to encourage all Americans to take folic acid, and help eradicate 
neural tube defects forever.

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