Can Autism Be Caused by Too Much Folic Acid?
underprivileged women can take advantage of government programs that strive to provide prenatal care and proper nutrition to pregnant mothers. For many women, the desire to provide the ideal environment for their baby starts with prenatal vitamins and eating a balanced diet. Prenatal vitamins contain essential nutrients known to reduce the risk of certain birth defects. Eating a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables and proteins simply makes good nutritional sense. Folic acid, a synthetic version of naturally occurring folate, has become a buzzword among expectant mothers. Insufficient levels of folate have been linked with neural tube defects such as spina bifida. As a precautionary measure, folic acid is one ingredient found in prenatal vitamins. In addition, folic acid aids in oocyte maturation, implantation, and placentation. Folate occurs naturally in leafy vegetables such as spinach leaves and turnip greens, broccoli, okra, asparagus, dried beans and peas, yeast, mushrooms, to