A study suggested that increase in utero folic acid exposure was associated with changes in later brain development which in turn, predicted a reduced risk of psychosis. Severe mental illnesses such as autism and schizophrenia are thought to start in the womb. It was observed that folic acid prevented majority of the mental illnesses. Grain products such as enriched bread, flour, corn meal, rice and pasta are fortified with folic acid which reduce the risk of neural tube defects such as spina bifida.
While taking folic acid supplements is recommended, since neural tube defects can develop before pregnancy, folic acid fortification of the food supply was designed to protect against the risks. Researchers reviewed two sets of brain MR images taken when children and adolescents. One set consisted of normal brain images and another set included images from participants with psychotic…
