Folic Acid is now being Linked to Higher Risk of Autism, Study

A new study suggests a possible link between high levels of folic acid in pregnant women and an increased risk of their children developing an autism spectrum disorder.

Co-researcher Daniele Fallin, a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, said the new research aimed to understand the optimal dose as some folate is a good thing but if the levels in the body could get too high, that would be bad.

In the study, mothers who had very high blood levels of folic acid at delivery were twice as likely to have a child with autism compared to mothers with normal levels, and mothers with excessive B12 levels were three times as likely to have a child with autism.

The risk was the greatest among mothers who had excess levels of both folate and B12 — their risk was over 17 times that of a mother with normal levels of both nutrients.

Some experts raised questions about the new research as the study only found an association but could not prove that high levels of folic acid must cause autism.

Fallin said supplementation is indeed an important thing, and they would not want anyone to interpret from this that pregnant women should stop taking vitamin supplements.

The study findings are scheduled for presentation on Friday at an international meeting for autism research in Baltimore, the United States.

Agencies/Canadajournal