Folic Acid Supplements during Pregnancy Protect Baby against Autism

Folic acid supplements during pregnancy can protect babies against developing autism, a new study says.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which starts normally by age 3, is a developmental disorder that leads to significant social, communication and behavioral changes. Nearly one in every 88 children in the United States is affected with this disorder.

The study, reported in the Journal of The American Medical Association (JAMA), found that starting a folic acid medication one month before conceiving until two months into pregnancy reduces the risk of giving birth to babies with autism by 40 percent.

However, researchers couldn't find any other supplements during pregnancy which would prevent autism risks in children.

"It appears that the reduced risk of childhood autism only reflects folic acid supplements, not food or other supplements, and that the crucial time interval is from four weeks before conception to eight weeks into pregnancy," Dr. Pål Surén, primary author of the paper and researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, said in a news release.

To reach a conclusion, researchers used data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). They looked at more than 85,100 children born between 2002 and 2008. The data provided information about the diet and medication the children's mothers followed during pregnancy.

Researchers used questionnaires, referrals from parents and medical practitioners, and the Norwegian patient register to determine prevalence of autism among the participants. Of the total participants, about 270 had autism, 56 were diagnosed with Asperger syndrome and 100 had atypical/unspecified autism (100).

Researchers found folic acid protecting only against childhood autism and not reducing the risks of atypical/unspecific autism. Due to the small number of children available for the study, researchers couldn't reach a proper conclusion about the power of folic acid in reducing the risk of Asperger syndrome. However, using folic acid after 22 weeks was found less effective, compared to using it before and during early pregnancy.

Women are prescribed different vitamin supplements during pregnancy to aid the proper growth and development of the baby. Experts recommend women to take folic acid regularly before and after conception, as it has the power to prevent a wide range of birth defects, particularly some neural tube defects. The recommended level is 400 micrograms a day.