If you’re pregnant, it’s likely that you’ve been told to take a multivitamin to fill any nutritional gaps in your diet and folic acid to reduce the risk of your unborn child developing neural tube defects.
Now, there’s another medical reason to have these supplements every day.
A this month, finds that taking folic acid and multivitamin supplements before or during pregnancy may reduce the risk of children developing autism.
The University of Haifa study observed 45,300 kids in Israel (22 090 girls and 23 210 boys) born between 2003-2007. The researchers followed up with every family in 2015 to evaluate whether or not each child had developed Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) since birth.
The multivitamin supplements used in the research included a combination of vitamins A, B, C, and D.
The research found there were fewer mothers who took either folic acid or multivitamins before and during pregnancy who had children with ASD. The multivitamin supplements used in the research included a combination of vitamins A, B, C, and D.
“Maternal exposure to folic acid and multivitamin supplements before and during pregnancy is associated with a reduced risk of ASD in the offspring compared with the offspring of mothers without such exposure,” the study reads.
Folate and folic acid: Know the difference
Folate and folic acid are forms of a water-soluble B vitamin. Folate occurs like green leafy vegetables (spinach and lettuce), asparagus, some fruits (bananas, melons and lemons) and some meats (beef liver and kidney). Meanwhile folic acid is the synthetic form of this vitamin.
By law, folic acid is currently to all bread and breakfast cereals made in Australia.
According to , pregnant women should take folic acid supplements that contain at least 400 micrograms of folic acid to reap the most health benefits. But to consult a qualified medical professional to ensure they are not getting too much folic acid if they are taking multiple daily supplements.
Folate occurs naturally in foods like green leafy vegetables (spinach and lettuce), asparagus, some fruits (bananas, melons and lemons) and some meats (beef liver and kidney).
ASD prevention: Does it help or hinder people with autism?
Although the study’s findings may help pregnant women to reduce the risk of their child developing ASD, questions the social message it sends to children already living with autism.
CEO of Autism Awareness Australia, Nicole Rogerson, urges women to be sceptical about the research findings: “take this study with a grain of salt”.
Rogerson says the study does little to help people with ASD to battle the negative social stigma associated with the condition. She adds that the research also suggests that mothers with autistic children are at fault: that children develop autism because their mother forgot to take regular folic acid or vitamin pills during pregnancy.
...take this study with a grain of salt.
“It’s lovely to find another piece of research that blames the mother for their child developing autism,” says Rogerson, tongue-in-cheek. “We’ve only had 40 years of that.
“There’s a lot of research being done into what causes autism and that’s important work. There are plenty of people who would like to get to the bottom of that.
“But the focus of future research should be how do we help people with autism not on the vitamin levels that mothers take during pregnancy.”
How to cook folate-rich foods
Duck liver parfait
