Study Of Dietary Factors And Effect Of Nutritional Intervention In The Pilot Regions Of The Project "Intervention Program On Birth Defects" In Shanxi Province

Objective Observation of flour fortification on dietary pattern, micronutrient intakes and micornutrition status of childbearing women were conducted in the pilot regions of project "Intervention program on birth defects" in Shanxi province. The correlations between neuralrube defect, a severe kind of birth defect and micronutrient status was analyzed through this two years intervention project. The objective of this research will supply a scientific evidence on control and prevention of birth defect, thus to enhance the health status in high risk areas of birth defect.Methods 218 women aged 18 to 45 were randomly selected from the pilot regions in three countries of Zhongyang, Liulin and Jiaokou in Shanxi province. Dietary survey was performed with food frequency methods. Dietary nutrients intakes of subjects were determined and compared with the Chinese DRIs. Biological effects of flour fortification were observed after 2 years intervention.Results 1. The results of dietary survey on voluntary subjects showed that the diets were mainly consisted of grains, which accounted for about 40% of the total food intake. Intakes of vegetables, fruits, milk, meat and fish were inadequate compared with Chinese DRIs. The aquatic food only accounted for 0.1～0.3% of the total food intake. 2. The intake of iron, zinc and folic acid reached or exceeded the RNI / AI in the intervention group, and the folic acid intake in the control group was obviously low which accounted for 50.2% of its RNI. Daily intakes of selenium, copper, vitamin C, retinol, folic acid and vitamin B₁₂ in both intervention and control groups were basically inadequate. 3. Serum levels of serum folate and serum homocysteine status in intervention group were higher than those of control group. Serum homocysteine level of control group after intervention was extremely higher than that of the normal range and the high homocysteine prevalence was 69.5%. The lack rates of vitamin B₁₂ were 61.4% and 43.9% respectively in intervention group and control group.Conclusions 1. Food supply in the pilot areas was considered inadequate and micronutrients intakes were low, therefore, malnutrition of micornutrients could be a major factor for health status such as high prevalence of nurotube defect. 2. The micronutrients intakes were generally inadequate and the folic acid intake in control group was significantly lowercompared with intervention group after 2 years intervention with fortified flour. 3. Flour fortification showed a positive impact on improvement of nutrition status of the subjects.