In France, 650,000 people suffer from autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Experts estimate that 1 in 100 babies are born with autism: little boys are 3 times more likely than little girls.
Autism is a poorly understood disease: according to an Opinion Way survey conducted in 2012, 37% of French people think it is a psychological or psychiatric problem… In reality, it is a neurological pathology defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a “severe and early childhood developmental disorder”. Specifically, autism is a disease that affects the brain and causes communication disorders, disruption of social relationships and behavioral disorders.
Good news: researchers at the Arkansas Children’s Research Institute (in the United States) have discovered that supplementation with folic acid could help children with autism to communicate better.
To reach this conclusion, the scientists worked with 47 children suffering from ASD (aged 7 ½ years on average, 80% boys) who were separated into 2 groups. For 12 weeks, group 1 received folic acid supplementation (50 mg per day, maximum) while group 2 received placebos.
The all-purpose vitamin
Folic acid is the scientific name for vitamin B9. This vitamin (also called “folate”) is particularly useful: it contributes to the formation of red blood cells, to the proper functioning of the nervous system and the immune system, participates in the healing of wounds… According to certain studies, it could also reduce hypertension, reinforce the action of anti-depressant drugs and… slow down cognitive decline.
Although it is possible to obtain it in the form of food supplements (to be purchased in pharmacies), vitamin B9 is also present in food: poultry offal, pork, veal or lamb liver, spinach, asparagus, linseed… Health authorities recommend a daily intake of 200 mcg for children aged 4 to 8 years.
Result of the experiment? After 12 weeks, the researchers found that the children who received folic acid supplementation communicated more easily than the others: they particularly noticed progress in language. A track to follow, then!
This work has been published in the specialized journal Molecular Psychiatry.
To read :
Autism, a disability poorly understood by the French
Vaccines: no increased risk of autism in children
