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Independent Weekly
September
19, 2002
By Desmond Ballance, Department of Animal Science |
And
how would you like your eggs sir, scrambled, sunny-side-up
or folate-enriched?
As
most people who enjoy eggs for breakfast know, having their
eggs "vitamin-enriched" is not typically a menu
option. That may soon change, as researchers in the animal
science department at the University of Manitoba have developed
folate-enriched table eggs.
Folate
is one of the family of B-vitamins, which is essential for
maintaining good body health. Found abundantly in green leafy
vegetables, beans and citrus fruits, folate is shown to protect
against neural tube birth defects and may reduce the occurrence
of cardiovascular disease.
Compared
to a standard large egg, a folate-enriched egg contains up
to three times as much of this essential vitamin. Such a generous
increase in egg folate concentration potentially positions
the egg as an excellent source of dietary folate. While the
idea of eating eggs to get your vitamins may sound strange,
the logic behind the folate-enriched egg is not cracked or
scrambled in the least.
A 1996
Canadian national health survey of more than 5000 men and
women indicated that those with the lowest body reserves of
folate were more likely to experience fatal heart problems
than those with high folate reserves. As well, women of child-bearing
age who ensure that their dietary folate level is at or above
recommended levels are more likely to reduce their risk of
giving birth to a child with neural tube birth defects, such
as spina bifida.
In light
of the serious medical conditions linked with folate deficiency,
the need for sufficient folate in the body is obvious. Historically,
Canadian men and women alike have not been regularly consuming
their daily recommended intakes for folate as set by Health
Canada.
While
informing the general public of folate-rich foods and encouraging
the use of vitamin supplements will certainly improve the
populations' ability to meet their recommended folate levels
by a small degree, the Canadian and U.S. governments have
proceeded one step further. In 1998, both countries enacted
legislation requiring that grain products be fortified with
folic acid in the hopes that the protective benefits of this
vitamin would reach as many people as possible. While early
reports suggest that grain fortification is working, there
is always room for improvement. Folate-enriched eggs would
be a practical solution to this, in addition to rounding out
a folate-rich meal of eggs and toast.
Wondering
how much folate is in your daily diet and whether you are
meeting your recommended intake? While you may be getting
sufficient folate based on current Health Canada dietary recommendations,
the amalgamation of Canadian and U.S. nutrient requirements
has led to an increase in the human adult recommended dietary
allowance (RDA), to 0.400 mg folate/day. As a result, there
is a definite need to ensure that a number of good folate
sources are available to the consumer, creating a significant
opportunity for the folate-enriched egg.
According
to the new guidelines, folate-enriched eggs contain12.5 per
cent of the RDA for folate as compared to an unfortified egg
that contains only 5 per cent. While studies suggest that
the availability of food folate for use by the body is 50
per cent, egg folate availability is likely to be even higher
as a result of the easy-to-use form of folate predominantly
found in the egg. In fact, preliminary research from the University
of Manitoba suggests that egg folate is 100 per cent available
relative to that found in over-the-counter vitamin supplements.
Such findings add to the already nutritious profile of eggs
and help reduce any health concerns related to egg consumption,
particularly those linking egg intake to heart disease.
To the
relief of egg-lovers everywhere, the medical claims of the
past suggesting a strong connection between egg consumption
and heart disease have been heavily revised. New evidence
shows that increased egg consumption is unlikely to increase
the risk of heart disease in the general healthy population.
More so than ever, eggs are being recognized and promoted
as the highly nutritious and versatile food products they
are, and for the first time since 1957, egg consumption is
on the rise.
While
a reduced fear of egg cholesterol has played a big role in
this turnover, the development of specialty eggs, such as
the omega-3 fatty acid-enriched egg, has also contributed
to the current upsurge in egg consumption. Likewise, the folate-enriched
egg has the opportunity to enter the specialty egg market
and further re-position the egg as the healthy and wholesome
food it has always been.
By increasing
egg folate levels, consumers can take advantage of a greater
selection of folate-rich foods and the protective health benefits
that this B-vitamin provides. Perhaps folate-enriched eggs
will one day be a menu option and if so, then one can eat
their folate and scrambled eggs too.
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