Prenatal Folic Acid Supplements and Offspring's Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Meta-analysis and Meta-regression.

Xian Liu, Mingyang Zou, Caihong Sun, Lijie Wu, Wen-Xiong Chen

Journal: Journal of autism and developmental disorders 2022;52(2):522-539

PMID: 33743119

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Abstract

We systematically reviewed the evidence on the association between maternal folic acid supplementation and the risk of offspring's autism spectrum disorders (ASD). A total of 10 studies with 23 sub-studies (9795 ASD cases) were included. Folic acid supplementation during early pregnancy was associated with a lower risk of offspring's ASD [OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.41-0.78]. The consumption of a daily amount of at least 400 μg folic acid from dietary sources and supplements, was associated with a reduced risk of offspring ASD [OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.36-0.83]. Critical effective maternal folic acid supplementation strategies, such as intake timing and intake dosage, may aid the reduction in the risk of offspring ASD. This meta-analysis provided new insights for the prevention of offspring's ASD.

Address: Division of Birth Cohort Study, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.; Department of Children's and Adolescent Health, College of Public Health, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.; Department of Children's and Adolescent Health, College of Public Health, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China. [email protected].; Department of Neurology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China. [email protected].

DOI: 10.1007/s10803-021-04951-8