VOALearningEnglish2013.3.25---Folic Acid May Reduce Risk of Autism

VOALearningEnglish2013.3.25---Folic Acid May Reduce Risk of Autism
From VOA Learning English, this is the Health Report in Special English. Women who took folic acid in early pregnancy were less likely to have a child with autism than other women in a recent study. Folic acid is a B vitamin that helps the body build and repair cells. The study, however, did not prove that folic acid can prevent childhood autism. Children with autism have problems communicating and socializing with other people. Researchers at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health looked at records of more than 85,000 children born between 2002 and 2008. The study asked mothers to describe their diets and any vitamin supplements they took before and during their pregnancies. Research leader Paul Suren and his colleagues compared the women who took folic acid supplements to those who did not. He says the women who took folic acid in early pregnancy had a 40 percent reduction in the risk of having a child with autism.He says the best time to take folic acid is from four weeks before to eight weeks after the start of pregnancy. The researchers found that taking folic acid halfway through pregnancy had no effect. The cause of autism is not known; several genes may be involved in the disorder. Folic acid has been linked to the development of a protective covering called the neural tube in a fetus. Women who do not get enough folic acid are at risk of giving birth to infants with part of their spinal cord or brain exposed. This disabling condition is called spina bifida. Dark leafy vegetables, asparagus, broccoli and citrus fruit are rich sources of folate. Folate is the naturally occurring form of folic acid. Folate is also found in peas, lentils, beans, eggs, yeast and liver. For VOA Learning English, I'm Laurel Bowman. (Adapted from a radio program broadcast 27Feb2013)
美国之音学习英语，这是在特别英语卫生报告“。在怀孕早期服用叶酸的妇女不太可能比其他妇女在最近的研究中有一个患有自闭症的孩子。叶酸是一种B族维生素，能帮助人体生成和修复细胞。然而，这项研究并没有证明，叶酸可以预防儿童孤独症。自闭症儿童的沟通和与其他人交往时有问题。看着在挪威公共卫生研究所的研究人员记录的超过85,000名儿童，2002年和2008年之间出生的。研究要求来形容自己的饮食和补充维生素他们把前和怀孕期间的母亲。研究负责人保罗·苏伦和他的同事相比，那些谁没有服用叶酸补充剂的女性。他说，妇女在怀孕早期服用叶酸，有一个孩子与autism.He说，服用叶酸的最佳时间是从四个星期前8个星期后，开始怀孕的风险减少了40％。研究人员发现，服用叶酸中途怀孕有没有影响。自闭症的原因是不知道;几个基因可能参与的无序。叶酸已被链接称为神经管在胎儿的保护覆盖物的发展。谁没有得到足够的叶酸的妇女生下的婴儿的一部分，他们的脊髓或大脑暴露的风险。这禁用状态称为脊柱裂。深绿色多叶蔬菜，芦笋，花椰菜和柑橘类水果中含有丰富的叶酸来源。叶酸是自然发生的形式的叶酸。叶酸还发现，豌豆，小扁豆，豆类，蛋类，酵母和肝脏。美国之音学英语，我是鲍曼桂冠。（改编自一个电台节目中播出27Feb2013）