Folic acid may reduce the risk of autism

Taking folic acid before conception and in early pregnancy is associated with a significantly lower risk of the most severe form of autism, a new study suggests.
Researchers followed more than 85,000 mothers in Norway, believing that the children of those who have taken acid folic supplements in the four weeks before getting pregnant and up to eight weeks of their pregnancy were 40% less likely to develop autism disorders.
If a pregnant mother took supplements, however, do not seem to affect the chances of the child to have pervasive development disorders, not specified. And researchers have identified a small number of children with Asperger syndrome to determine whether or not the supplement affected the chances of the child to develop the form of high-functioning Autism.
The study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association followed women who had babies born between 2002 and 2008. Researchers have documented the dietary habits of the mother during pregnancy and the study participants were surveyed periodically for the period from 3 to 10 years after their children are born to identify who would later be diagnosed with autism. Ultimately, 270 children who participated in the study were on the spectrum of autism.
When a woman took folic acid appears to make a significant difference, the study found. Mothers who took the supplement before and after pregnancy were the only ones to see a reduction in the risk of autism in their children.
During this time, however, the use of fish oil supplements and other vitamins and minerals during pregnancy does not seem modify the risk of autism, the study found.
Taking supplements of folic acid during pregnancy is known to ward off spina bifida and other neural tube defects. However, more research is necessary to assert its impact on autism, according to the researchers.
Nevertheless, the results offer guarantees, researchers speak of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, since the study debunks the previous concerns that folic acid may increase the risk of autism.
"This should ensure that the intake of folic acid can continue to serve as a tool for the prevention of neural tube defects, the CDC researchers wrote in an editorial published alongside the study in JAMA. "The potential for a nutritional supplement reduce the risk of autism is provocative and must be confirmed in other populations. ''