Study: Taking folic acid early in pregnancy cuts autism risk
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By Fox 2 News Staff
Folic acid tablets (Credit: Journal of the American Medical Association)
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (WJBK) -
When mothers took folic acid supplements early in pregnancy, researchers found the risk of autism in their children was cut by 40 percent.
Dr. Pal Suren with the Norwegian Institute of Public Health said the study of several thousand mothers and children, "went back to the data that we had from early pregnancy and compared those mothers who had taken folic acid to those who hadn't taken any folic acid."
"There's a sensitive period in which folic acid supplements need to be taken in order to reduce the risk of autism," said Dr. Ezra Susser with the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. "The period begins before pregnancy and continues approximately two months after pregnancy."
The research appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Sources of folic acid include green, leafy vegetables and many prenatal vitamins.
Information from the Journal of the American Medical Association
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Folic acid tablets (Credit: Journal of the American Medical Association)
