So there are articles about a study by Johns Hopkins University making the rounds that headlines are purporting suggests that folic acid and vitamin B12 supplementation during pregnancy may cause autism. As someone with a double copy of the MTHFR mutation that screws with the metabolism of synthetic folic acid and B12 – and is also correlated with autism and a number of autoimmune conditions – I would like to point something else out.
Folic acid is added to EVERYTHING made with white flour in the US. And a too-large percentage of Americans are unable to metabolize it properly, which leads to countless health problems. Folic acid is also linked to increased cancer rates. THE FDA NEEDS TO REVOKE ITS FOLIC ACID FORTIFICATION REQUIREMENT.
Another point – the MTHFR mutation is also linked to increased risk of miscarriage. So if a mother contains one or two copies of the mutation, she not only has an increased risk of having one of the associated health conditions, but she also tends to have problems carrying a fetus to term. But pumping these pregnant women full of folic acid makes it more likely for them to carry to term…and their children have a 50/50 chance of carrying the same genetic mutation. Increased risk
THEREFORE, more autistic children are being born that would have otherwise been miscarried. (And children with related autoimmune disorders and such.)
In my semi-scientific opinion, supplementation is not CAUSALLY related to folic acid supplementation. It’s correlated with a higher birth rate for autistic children.