WHILE we knew consuming more folic acid during pregnancy reduces neural tube defects, a study from the US has confirmed another benefit of fortifying bread with folic acid: protection against psychosis.
Two decades ago, the US government mandated grain products be enriched with folic acid to reduce foetal birth defects.
The regulatory action has had an unexpected benefit in that it appears from this Massachusetts General Hospital study that the increased gestational exposure to folic acid through food fortification may protect against psychosis through altered postnatal cortical development.
The work has been published in JAMA Psychiatry - jamanetwork.com.
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