Perhaps you heard recently of a study linking folic acid
supplementation and a reduction in the risk of autism. While
this is just a preliminary study, if future research confirms
the link, it will add a new and powerful reason for women of
childbearing age to consider the health benefits of this B
vitamin for their prospective children. Our knowledge about
folic acid dates to the early 20th century, when scientists
identified deficiency of the vitamin as a cause of anemia. In
subsequent decades, more became known about the role of folic
acid in the body. By the early 1960s, a link between folic acid
deficiency and common birth defects such as spina bifida was
discovered. Subsequent research confirmed the link and led to a
decision by the federal government to fortify cereals with folic
acid. Folic acid is naturally found in leafy vegetables, legumes
(such as beans), citrus and whole grains. Today, many processed
foods are enriched with folic acid, including breakfast cereals,
pasta, breads and white rice. De