Can Folic Acid Eliminate Autism? (5 photos)

One of the most pressing and controversial issues in modern medicine is why the number of cases of autism has increased dramatically. This disorder is characterized by developmental disorders of the nervous system and a variety of clinical manifestations. Doctors and parents have learned to recognize the symptoms, and now the disease is detected at an early age. Genetics is the main cause of autism, but environmental factors can also increase the risk of its development.





Children's neurologist Richard Fry, a researcher at the Rossignol Medical Center in Arizona, believes that a simple vitamin deficiency is to blame.

The doctor claims that three quarters of children with autism have critically low levels of folate, known as vitamin B9, which is crucial for brain development. He prescribes folate supplements to young patients and notes improvements within weeks of starting treatment.



According to him, adequate intake of folate by pregnant women can reduce the risk of having children with autism.

Dr. Fry's findings are controversial among experts. Many believe that his evidence is insufficient. However, he is far from the first to identify this connection.

Studies have shown that taking folic acid in the first months of pregnancy reduces the risk of having a child with congenital defects.

“We know that about 75 percent of children with autism have folate deficiency, which often starts in the womb,” Dr. Fry said.





A study published in the medical journal Molecular Psychiatry found that people with autism tend to have fewer synapses, the connections that carry messages from one part of the brain to another.

Autism is a spectrum, and it affects people in different ways. Some may completely lose the ability to communicate and need constant care, while others have difficulty forming relationships, prefer predictability and dislike noisy places.

Experts believe that the risk of developing autism is especially high in people with a family history of this disorder. “If one of your parents has autism, the likelihood that you will encounter it is quite high,” says pediatrician Michael Absood from King's College London. “The reasons for this are not fully understood: there is no single gene that causes autism.”

There are factors that increase the risk of developing autism.

“The older the parents are at the time of conception, the higher the risk of autism in the child. This may partly explain the increase in the incidence of the disease,” explains Absood. “Families began to have children later than two decades ago.”

Sodium valproate, a drug used to treat epilepsy, may cause birth defects if taken during pregnancy. These include autism.

High levels of air pollution, infections during pregnancy, diabetes, and obesity also increase the risk.



Folic acid is crucial for the development of the brain and spinal cord. It can be found in foods such as green leafy vegetables, legumes, and citrus fruits.

Since the brain is one of the first things to form, folic acid is especially important in the first few months. However, many women do not even know they are pregnant at this point.

Folate deficiency can cause serious problems in children. One of the most dangerous defects is spina bifida, or spina bifida. This serious condition is an incomplete closure of the neural tube in the not fully formed spinal cord.

In his practice, neurologist Fry uses folinic acid (leucovorin), a vitamer of folic acid. He claims that this delivers more folate to the brain than with regular folic acid, and his patients report significant improvements.

He adds: “Leucovorin is an extremely safe drug with no side effects.”



Ryan Baldridge (pictured with his younger brother Grayson)

Dr James Cusack, chief executive of the charity Autistica, believes the improvements could have happened without Fry's help: "At around the age of three, many children with autism show a developmental leap."

However, Fry points to studies in the US, France and India that have shown that children with autism benefit more from leucovorin than from a placebo.

A neurologist shared a story from his practice. He brought in 4-year-old Ryan Baldridge. Due to developmental disabilities, he could only repeat words, but not construct his own sentences.

Fry conducted a test that showed that Ryan had a B9 deficiency. Ryan began taking leucovorin twice a day. This drug was originally used in chemotherapy, but also stimulates the body's production of folates. Two weeks later, Ryan was already speaking in full sentences and said for the first time: "I love you, Dad."