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Kids whose moms took folic acid while pregnant had better mental health, kids whose moms had good choline levels avoided birth defects, and pregnant moms who took carnitine maintained healthy levels, in three new studies.

Doctors in a child behavior study knew that mothers' low folate levels can cause brain and spinal cord defects in babies, but wanted to see how folic acid supplements might also improve kids' behavior. Researchers measured how much folic acid moms took during the first trimester, then evaluated over 4,200 of their children at 18 months. Kids whose moms did not take folic acid were 44 percent more likely to have developmental and behavioral problemscompared to kids whose moms took folic acid.

Researchers in a birth defect study noted that folate is only part of the solution to birth defects, which occur even though U.S. manufacturers must add folic acid to foods....

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