SUBJECT:
FOOD FORTIFICATION
PURPOSE:
This briefing note is a recommendation for changes in policy pertaining
to food fortification.
ISSUE:
There is not enough action on the fortification of food for life extension measure such as nutrients like Nicotinamide.
Background:
The earliest incidents in which people were
suffering illness was a result a vitamin C deficiency. Sailors on ships would set sail and through
their journey to various lands, would present with weakness, gum disease,
bleeding, hair changes etc. People eventually
found out that vitamin C containing fruits would eliminate such disease.
Food fortification has an extended history
throughout the modern world. One of the
most successful implementation of food fortification was when iodine was added
to table salt. First, it is necessary to
break down the chemical makeup of table salt. It includes sodium, iodine and chloride. A deficiency in sodium can cause many health
problems. Hyponatremia is the diagnosis
by which those who have low sodium in their blood receive from their
physician. Low sodium is characterized
by such signs and symptoms not limited to, low energy, confusion, low blood
pressure, muscle weakness or cramp. This
illness can further result in seizures and potential death. Hyponatremia is treated by giving patients
the sodium via food intake or intravenous therapy amongst others. Specifically, there is also a benefit of
fortifying food with iodine a main component of table salt which is present in
many foods. Iodine prevented goiters
from occurring during the early 1900’s.
The unseen benefit of iodine fortification is the perceived increase in
intellect. Before iodine was added to
table salt, there was a goiter epidemic in the USA- the Great Lakes,
Appalachians and the Northwestern regions collectively referred to as the, Goiter
Belt.” People in these areas had frequent
goiters. They also experienced lower
intelligence as scientist found that by comparing the intelligence of children
born before 1924, the year iodization began and those after, those that were
born where iodine was prevalent had IQ’s higher by on average 3.5 points. Low iodine is linked to deficiency in thyroid
function which explains the lower IQ, resulting from reduced energy. Both sodium and iodine increase energy which
are metabolized in the body as necessary.
On another note, food was also fortified in
the same manner as above, in such foods as milk and bread. In the case of milk, the government added
Vitamin D. This fortification was a
result of Vitamin D’s ability to assist with the development of bones and
teeth. Vitamin D is needed by the body
to be able to absorb calcium which prevents Rickets a disease wherein bones are
softened and weakened. When in relation
to bread, B Vitamins were added by the government to enrich such foods. The manufacturing of flour caused nutrients
to be lost, as a result the government decided to fortify with the B Vitamins
which they to thought would prevent illness.
Considerations:
Fortification can be defined as the process
of adding micronutrients to food. It is
carried out by food manufacturers or as policy by the government. The aim is to reduce deficiency. In the modern age, there are companies which
enrich foods and beverages. Such example
are energy drinks. These energy drinks provide people with the stamina they
need to go and do work. Although the
acuity of the need for food fortification has been resolved, that does not mean
that the government should stop fortifying. In fact, the health care system and
the government spends billions of dollars treating peoples ailments. Some ailments can be avoided or delayed as
explained above. The government in 2019,
spent $264 billion or $7,068 per person.
This represented 11.6% of Canadas GDP.
Healthcare takes a significant amount of money from a government that is
nearly exhausting all its resources from its tax base. There are however solutions to prevent or
delay illness. 81.9 years old is the
life expectancy in Canada, however for other nations it may be significantly
lower. The answer to the modern problem
of longevity is supplementation. What
the country has to gain from extending the life of its citizens, is not only
reduced health care costs, but a longer working life for citizens. The current retiring age is 65 in Canada. If
Canada decides to supplement foods accordingly they could easily achieve a
later age of retirement. There are
currently supplements which could aid to accomplish this. The government as
mentioned fortified bread and flour with B vitamins. They are on the right track however, it is
necessary to zone in on what actually is the solution here. There is a B Vitamin which proports to
increase life span. This B Vitamin is
none other than Nicotinamide. This vitamin
is found in scant amounts of various green leafy foods however, it is not
possible to get the dosage that is required to benefit from it. This vitamin is found to benefit humans by
reducing stress and DNA damage. Studies
found that mice experienced a significantly higher stamina and ageing. Nicotinamide increases the amount of NAD+ in
the body in which current researchers believe is the key to life
extension. Nicotinamide supplementation
not only increases NAD+ levels to combat ageing but also is known to activate
certain enzymes which promote healthy aging (namely Sirtuins), protects brain
cells, may lower heart disease risk, weightloss, lower cancer risk, and healthy
muscle aging. Although trials are early,
studies show promising results which could have significant impacts for the
modern era.
Options:
Option 1:
Full Nicotinamide supplementation.
Current studies show good results. Nicotinamide has been found effective as
evidenced by numerous claims to be found on various publications. Currently it is sold as an antiaging supplement
at a very high premium. The dosage that
is recommended to gain benefits is 2000mg per day. Consuming foods which contain this vitamin
are not enough to be able to reach this. Its so low in fact that through food
consumption, a person wont even be able to ascertain 1mg. Through enriching bread and flour with
Nicotinamide, the government can expect to have reduced costs for health care
expenditures. They can also expect a
larger tax base, especially since adults are no longer having as many children
as they did previously. There is a
problem in Canada, and that problem is going to present itself in the not too
distant future. Canada has been having a
reduced birthrate for several decades now.
As a result of this, there is a lack of support to be able to fund the
health care system in which Canada prides itself. The current Canadian solution is to accept
more immigrants. However, the issue with
this is that these people face credential barriers wherein their education is
not recognized in the country thereby reducing the ability for the government
to have higher tax income. Regardless,
the immigrants can still work entry level jobs while Canadian citizens can
ascertain the skilled jobs. The
fortification of Nicotinamide in bread and flour would essentially keep people
in their jobs for longer if early studies are to be believed. This option is the least feasible however has
the most benefits for sustainability. As
it pertains to equity, people will have the ability to work longer which should
give them the means by which to ascertain more wealth. By fortifying foods such as bread and flour,
rest assured the government is for equality.
Option 2:
Do more research.
Since studies are very early, the
government can allocate funds to research and development. Through this allocation, the government can
determine the feasibility of said fortification. This is most likely the most expensive option
as the government would have to delegate a huge team to determine whether the
population will benefit off of fortification.
The supplement is already sold at a premium, however, if the government
does its own research, it could harvest the means by which to bring the costs
down evidently benefiting the people in turn benefitting the government. From a
sustainability perspective, this option is reasonable as it considers what
needs to be done to reduce the cost of the strenuous health care expenditures.
Option 3:
Status quo.
This I the most feasible option. However, when looking at the macroscopic
environment and the population, it becomes evident that interventions need to
be implemented to target illness. As
mentioned earlier, health care is %11 odd of the budget in Canada. Doing this will continue the gradual increase
to this figure.
Recommendation:
Option two is recommended.
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