A magzatvedő vitaminok és a táplálkozás

Authors

  • Endre Czeizel Genetikai Ártalmak Társadalmi Megelőzése Alapítvány (Foundation for the Community Control of Hereditary Diseases) H-1148 Budapest, Bolgárkerék u. 3.

Abstract

Proteins get into our body in the way of nutrition go to aminoacids. Homocistein, which is an end product of an aminoacid is poison in a certain blood level (12 micromol/l). The pletoric homocistein is deposited in veinwall and – among several things because of the activation of bad cholesterol (LDL) – can cause early cerebral sclerosis, in this way its role is proven in heart-attack, strokes and perferic veindiseases. Summarising the former results of researches it is accountable for 20% of deaths due to cardiovascular diseases. If a woman with high homocistein level gets pregnant, this poison can cause anencephalia or spina bifida and other embryogeny disorders can develop in embryos. Several enzymes are responsible for detoxication of homocistein. The most important among them is MTHFR. All the enzymproteins are leaded by genedublett. Bigger part of Hungarians are not able to detoxicate homocistein, because both of MTHFR enzyme leader genedublett are inaccurate in 11% of the nation and one half of this genedublett is inaccurate in 45% of Hungarians. Researches of former years have verified that folacid (synthetic form of B11 vitamin) and three other B vitamins: B2, B3 and B12 are able to detoxicate homocistein and in this way they are able to avoid cardiovascular and other embryogeny disorders. Despite of inaccurate genedublett due to mentioned vitamins MTHFR-enzyme comes into play and forms homocistein to useful aminoacid (metionin). Therefore it is obligated in the whole USA to enrich flour with folacid from January 1, 1998. As a result of this disposal the bloodlevel of poisoning homocistein decreased by 38% among inhabitants and the folacidless anaemia left off. The occurrence of anencephalia and spina bifida is considerably (by 30%) lower. Finaly – and it is the most important in the point of public health view – that deaths caused by cardiovascular diseases are less current, 31000 strokes and 17000 heart attacks became avoidable due to this disposal. The example of the USA has been followed by Canada, Chile and other countries. The prevalence of anencaphalia and spina bifida diseases has decreased by 50%. The yearly wheat-production is 2.4 million tons in Hungary from that 1.4 million tons are consumed by inhabitants. 4-8 mills of working 150 mills are able to use the high-tech methods to enrich in vitamins. However, they are able to cover 80% of Hungarian wheat-needs. The remaining 20% could be enough for those people who do not want this opportunity of health-protecting. At the same time it would be necessary to start a big advertising campaign „of general interest” to popularize „our new everyday bread” which is not only for assuaging our hungry but protecting our health, too. Folacid alone is not so effective then the vitamin-combination, although it is much cheaper. The enrichment in folacid needs 280 million Forint, the enrichment in all of the B-vitamins needs 2.2 billion Forint every year. The budget or the leaders of millindustry could cover this amount of money. Because the wheat enriched in vitamins could be an appealing export-product for agribusiness and in this way the wheat surplus could be brought down. As an affect of enriching wheat in vitamins would decrease the number of lost people through – the leading reason of deaths – cardiovascular diseases. The optimistic calculation shows that it could mean the avoidance of ten thousand people’s death, but the most pessimistic calculations also indicate of the order of several thousands. The ratio of some kind of embryogeny diseases would also decrease which would be important for affected neonates’ families and for the society as well as it would increase the pleasure to have more children. There would be several other – more difficult to measure – beneficial healthprotecting affects, like mitigation of old age dulling (in what the role of high level of homocistein is verified) and decrease of some types of cancers (the folatdefected nutrition of Hungarian population increases the ratio of cancerous diseases).

Published

2009-02-15

Issue

Section

Articles