Researchers at Simon Fraser University have discovered that folate may mitigate the effects of blood-lead levels on the development of autistic-like behaviors in children born to pregnant women.
The study indicates that a daily intake of at least 0.4 milligrams of folic acid could weaken the neurotoxic effects of lead, aligning with current Health Canada guidelines for pregnant individuals.
Researchers at Simon Fraser University have found that folate may reduce the link between blood-lead levels in pregnant women and autistic-like behaviors in their children.
The study, led by PhD candidate Joshua Alampi from SFU’s Faculty of Health Sciences, was published on October 16 in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
“Folic acid supplementation during pregnancy has numerous benefits to child health, especially brain development,” says Alampi. “Our study suggests that adequate folic acid supplementation mitigates the neurotoxic effects of lead.”
This is the first study to show that proper folic acid supplementation may lower the risk of autism associated with lead exposure during pregnancy. The findings revealed that the connection between blood-lead levels and autistic-like behaviors in toddlers was stronger in pregnant women who consumed less than 0.4 milligrams of folic acid supplementation per day.
Folate and folic acid, a synthetic version of folate found in fortified food, have long been established as a beneficial nutrient during pregnancy. Folate consumption plays a key role in brain development and prevents neural tube defects. Previous studies have found that the associations between autism and exposure to pesticides, air pollutants, and phthalates (chemicals commonly found in soft plastics) during pregnancy tend to be stronger when folic acid supplementation is low.
The team used data collected from 2008 to 2011 from 2,000 Canadian women enrolled in the MIREC study (Mother-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals). The MIREC team measured blood-lead levels collected during first and third trimesters and surveyed participants to quantify their folic acid supplementation. Children born in this cohort study were assessed at ages three or four using the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), a common caregiver-reported tool that documents autistic-like behaviors in toddlers.
However, researchers also found that high folic acid supplementation (> 1.0 milligrams per day) did not appear to have any extra benefit for mitigating the neurotoxic effects of lead exposure.
“The study’s finding aligns with Health Canada’s recommendation that all people who are pregnant, lactating, or could become pregnant, should take a daily multivitamin containing 0.4 milligrams of folic acid.”
Reference: “Combined Exposure to Folate and Lead during Pregnancy and Autistic-Like Behaviors among Canadian Children from the MIREC Pregnancy and Birth Cohort” by Joshua D. Alampi, Bruce P. Lanphear, Amanda J. MacFarlane, Youssef Oulhote, Joseph M. Braun, Gina Muckle, Tye E. Arbuckle, Jillian Ashley-Martin, Janice M.Y. Hu, Aimin Chen and Lawrence C. McCandless, 16 October 2024, Environmental Health Perspectives.
DOI: 10.1289/EHP14479