Bread For Women by The Food Doctor

Bread for Women by The Food Doctoris now available in the bread aisle at your local supermarket... Bread ‘For Women’ is available at the bread aisle in Waitrose, Budgens, ASDA and Booths.

This unique, whole wheat, high fibre and great tasting loaf provides a convenient way of delivering the daily vitamins and minerals essential for optimum women’s health in a natural form. Aimed at women 15 – 45 years, the bread includes Calcium, Iron, Selenium, Vitamin E and Vit B complex and in just two slices, 100% RDA of folic acid to assist in maintaining hormonal health and the development of healthy babies.

There is now overwhelming medical evidence that correct levels of folic acid in women conceiving lessens the incidence of neural birth defects. This has been witnessed in countries where adding folic acid fortification to bread has been mandatory for several years and a correlation has been identified against reduced incidence of such defects.

In the UK, after many years of debate and on considering the medical evidence, the Food Standards Agency finally recommended to Government that a similar programme should be adopted. However, concerns expressed by various groups have held up the implementation of such a policy and whilst the evidence has not changed in terms of the target group, there are growing concerns that mandatory fortification could cause as many problems as it solves in the population at large. This has led to The Food Doctor nutrition experts designing a product targeted at the specific people it is most beneficial for.

Why is this bread marketed specifically for women?

The Food Doctor bread ‘For Women’ is designed to supply females from the ages of 15 to 45 with a wide range of nutrients that have been shown to benefit their health. Most significantly, the bread contains 200mcg of folic acid per portion, which has been shown may reduce the risk of neural tube birth defects such as spina bifida, anencephaly and encephalocele. A dose of 400mcg folic acid per day is recommended by the FSA for pregnant women or for women who are planning pregnancy. The Food Doctor is therefore supplying 50% of the recommended daily folic acid dose for women who are pregnant and 100% of the recommended daily nutrient intake for women who are not pregnant (200mcg). There are between 700 and 900 pregnancies in the UK that are affected by neural tube defects (NTD’s) each year, not including miscarriages. Folic acid is particularly important during pre-pregnancy and in the very early stages of pregnancy, as the neural tube growth in embryos is particularly intense in these first few weeks. There are also many unplanned pregnancies where the woman only realises she is pregnant after the stages where folic acid is most needed, and since the human body cannot store folic acid it is essential that this vitamin be integrated into the food chain. This is why The Food Doctor is making sure their Bread ‘For Women’ contains the daily recommended amount of folic acid along with other important nutrients and is marketing this bread to a wide range of ages starting from as young as 15. In England this year there have been about 40,000 teenage pregnancies under the age of 18, of which thousands have been unplanned. Women who conceive unexpectedly have a much higher chance of their baby being born healthy if they consume the correct levels of folic acid and the other essential nutrients that The Food Doctor Bread ‘For Women’ provides.


Where does folic acid traditionally come from?

Foods that are naturally rich in folic acid include liver, yeast extract and green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, beans and peas. A diet rich in other B vitamins and in Vitamin C usually contains a high amount of folic acid. However, a large percentage of the UK has a poor diet high in saturated fats, sugars and a modest consumption of fruits and vegetables, which do not provide them with enough of these essential nutrients. Bread has always been a very popular food and traditionally was a good source of such nutrients, however in the modern production process, 50% of the folic acid is lost when the whole wheat is roller milled and bleached. This indicates that it is important to replace the vitamins and minerals that have been removed, so that the British population receive a wider variety of nutrients in their diet.



Why take nutrients in bread rather than in pills?

Nutrients given in the form of pills are designed in much higher doses than the RNI for each. This is due to the fact that nutrients in pills do not readily absorb as well in the body as those from food. This is referred to as their bioavailability. The Food Doctor strongly believes in gaining nutritional value through the food that we eat rather than the pills that we swallow. Bread ‘For Women’ is designed by nutritional experts to ensure the most efficient levels of bioavailability of these essential nutrients, taking into account both their synergistic and antagonistic relationships.



What happens if folic acid is taken in excess?

The main problem with taking folic acid in excess is that it has been shown to mask Vitamin B12 deficiency, especially in the elderly. The Food Doctor is aware of this possible issue and has therefore included 50% of the RNI of Vitamin B12 in the bread, which is useful for all ages.



What evidence is there that indicates bread fortification is successful?

Several countries in the world are now fortifying flour with folic acid along with other vitamins and minerals to reduce the risk of neural defects. In Canada, United States and Chile, the addition of folic acid in food is thought to have reduced neural tube birth defects by up to 50%. Other countries such as New Zealand and Australia are also marketing fortified bread and have witnessed about a 45% fall in births with neural defects.



Will Britain Follow Suit?

Britain consumes around eight million loaves of bread a day, which is already fortified with several essential nutrients (e.g. Iron) and if folic acid was included it could increase the health of the population and cut down birth defects by a significant amount. For those people who do not take supplements or have a poor understanding of what constitutes a nutritious diet, fortifying one of the most popular foods in Britain with nutrients could be a direct way of making the population healthier. In May 2007 Britain’s Food Standards Agency Board agreed unanimously that ‘mandatory fortification’ of flour with folic acid should be introduced. The Government has mainly held back over the years by the fear of Vitamin B12 deficiency issue in the elderly. However if all such fortified foods contained a controlled amount of folic acid, then the prevalence of Vitamin B12 deficiency could also be limited.



What other benefits does the Bread ‘For Women’ have?

The Food Doctor Bread for Women may not only improve the health of the foetus during pregnancy, it could also help to maintain women’s health in general, giving them a wide variety of vitamins and minerals to keep their body functioning, healthy and active. The added nutrients are designed to work together to try to prevent short and long term ailments in the body. Some of the benefits are:

• Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease by the presence of folic acid.

• Reduced prevalence of cancer due to added antioxidants and Vitamin B complex.

• Bones protected by nutrients found in the bread such as Manganese, Calcium and Vitamin D.

• Iron deficient anaemia can be prevented by iron absorption.

• The nervous system sustained by Vitamin E, Magnesium and Vitamin B complex.

• Reduced risk of scurvy by the presence of added Vitamin C.

What quantities of the nutrients are found in the bread?

The nutrient quantities have been carefully chosen by the nutritional experts of The Food Doctor to maintain correct levels of absorption whilst balancing these qualities with the synergistic nature of the nutrients.