Doubts About Vitamin B Fortification

The food industry has a rich history of improving public health through nutrient fortification and enrichment. However, doubts exist about the benefits of fortification with B vitamins.

Epidemiological data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys suggest that reduced plasma folic acid and vitamin B-6 and hyperhomocysteinemia are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (Selhub et al., 1995). Additional epidemiological data support the earlier observations wi…