Can Taking Folic Acid During Pregnancy Also Prevent Autism?
A study of 837 mothers discovered that the ones who took at least 600mcg a day of folic acid during the first month of pregnancy had a 38% lower risk of having a child with autism than the women who took less. That’s a very large protective effect for a reasonably small dose of folic acid (Am J Clin Nutr 2012;96:80-89).
And recent research has duplicated these results, adding evidence to the case for folic acid for preventing autism. This study looked at 109,000 children and their mothers. It found that the women who supplemented folic acid from four weeks before the start of pregnancy to eight weeks after the start of pregnancy were 39% less likely to have children with autism (J Pediatr 2013;163:303-4).
So taking folic acid in the early stages of pregnancy may have the important benefit of preventing autism as well as preventing spina bifida.