Use of folic acid during pregnancy and its interference in reducing the autism spectrum disorder index in the offspring

*Correspondence: [e-mail].

Abstract

Background: Prenatal maternal diet is a critical factor in the neurodevelopment of the offspring. Emerging evidence suggests that prenatal supplementation may also play a role in the etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Studies carried out in animals and humans show that folate plays a key role in the development of the nervous system. In short, periconceptional folic acid can reduce the risk of ASD and the use of multivitamins rich with folic acid used by women before fertilization and up to the first trimester of pregnancy is also related to a numerous restriction of serious malformations. For some women who do not have sufficient intakes of supplemental folic acid in the periconceptional period, current levels of folic acid fortification may have increased blood folate concentrations enough to facilitate neural tube closure and fetal survival, but not enough to prevent milder anomalies of brain development, which in certain late fetuses can have compromising neurodevelopmental implications, such as autism.

Objective: To summarize the evidence on the role of folic acid in periconceptional and prenatal supplementation primarily on ASD-related features.

Methods: The following systematic literature review was carried out by searching publications in the PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, Scielo, Medline, Web of Science databases, in the period between 2012 and 2022 with the terms “Supplementation of folic acid and TEA and folic acid” and “Prenatal folic acid”. Original articles, systematic reviews and publications assessed as relevant by the authors were selected. Exclusion criteria: old articles, duplicate articles and articles that were not well evaluated.

Results: The research, based on the analyzed articles, found that there are promising results regarding the use of folic acid and multivitamins, including vitamin D and other vitamins, as potential protective factors in the prenatal period, obtaining good results in the reduction of defects in tubes neural networks and reduced risk of ASD in the offspring. Furthermore, there are no appreciable adverse effects with the use of folic acid in the preconception period.

Conclusion: It is possible to conclude that the use of folic acid associated with multivitamin supplementation, including vitamin D and B6, associated with dietary control decreases the risk of neural tube defect and, thus, the incidence of ASD in the offspring.

 

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Publication History

Article published online:
12 May 2025