Prenatal Folic Acid Reduces Autism Risk

CHICAGOMothers who take prenatal folic acid supplements are less likely to give birth to autistic children, a new JAMA study reports (JAMA. 2013;309(6):570-577). Using the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa), researchers at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, analyzed the association of folic acid supplements used before and in early pregnancy and risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs).

Supplementation with folic acid around the time of conception reduces the risk of neural tube defects in children," scientists wrote in the study. "This protective effect has led to mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid in several countries, and it is generally recommended that women planning to become pregnant take a daily supplement of folic acid starting 1 month before conception."

Out of more than 85,000 children, 270 were diagnosed with ASDs (.32 percent). Researchers found an inverse relationship between maternal folic acid use and ASD risk. Of the folic acid mothers, .1 percent of children were diagnosed with ASD, compared to .21 percent of children without maternal folic acid supplementationgiving the supplementation group 39-percent lower odds of developing autistic disorders.

Folic acid has a strong connection in the cognitive world; in 2012, researchers found daily supplementation with folic acid and vitamin B12 improved cognitive functioning, especially in memory.