A group of UK doctors has urged the government to continue with proposals to fortify flour with folic acid in order to prevent birth defects.
A report in the medical journal the Lancet has claimed there is no evidence to support concerns that folic acid could be linked to cancer.
Earlier this year the Food Standards Agency approved a move to fortify bread with folic acid to cut the number of babies born with spina bifida.
However MPs later delayed this move because they remained cautious about studies linking folic acid fortification with colon cancer.
Professor Roger Bayston, associate professor for surgical infection at Nottingham University, said: "The FSA and the chief medical officer can be confident in recommending that the government introduce the mandatory fortification of flour.
"The issue has been delayed for many years, largely due to concerns which have turned out not to be well founded."
Folic acid, the synthetic form of folate, is a B vitamin found in foods including liver and dark-green leafy vegetables.
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