Relação do uso do ácido fólico durante a gravidez e o transtorno do espectro autista: Relationship between folic acid use during pregnancy and autismo spectrum disorder
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous neuroligcal condition caracterizes by social communication déficits and repetitive behaviros, with a multifactorial etiology involving genetic, epigenetic, and environmental interactions. This article reviews the relationship between folic acid supplementation during pregnancy and ASD risk, analyzing evidence from studies published between 2008 and 2023 in PubMed and SciELO. Folate, essential for neurodevelopment and neural tube defect. Prevention, exhibits an ambivalente role: its deficiency in the first trimester is linked to impaired neurogenesis, while excesso, particularly in later gestational stages, may disrupt epigenetic mechanisms, such as methylation of critical genes (e.g. RELN, OXTR), influencing ASD-like behaviors in animal models. Genetic polymorphisms, such as MTHFR (presente in 40% of children with ASD), modulate this relationship, with elevated maternal folate levels correlating to higher ASD risk in carriers of this variant. Population studies reveal contradictions: preconceptional supplementation reduced ASD incidence by 50% in a Norwegian cohort, while in the U.S., ASD prevalence increased alongside folic acid food fortification, though factors like expanded diganostic criteria (DSM-5) partially explain this rise. The findings suggest a U-shaped response model, where both deficiency and excesso folate may compromisse epigenetic homeostasis. Personalized supplementation (400-600 µg/day), biomarker monitoring (homocysteine, serum folate), and use of active forms (methylfolate) in high-risk groups are recommended to balance benefits and potential neurodevelopmental risks. Keywords: autism spectrum disorder; autism; ASD; folate; folic acid, pregnancy.
Source: Atas de Ciências da Saúde
Language: Portuguese
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7215356627