HEALTH: Folic acid linked to mental illness prevention in womb.

Women may be able to prevent severe mental illness in their children by consuming enough folic acid — found in foods such as grains, rice, cereal and bread — while they’re pregnant, according to researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital.

“The idea that the risk for these illnesses begins in the womb has gained biological support in recent years,” said Dr. Joshua Roffman of the MGH Department of Psychiatry and senior author of the report. “The field is really moving in the direction of prevention.”

Roffman and his colleagues reviewed two sets of MRIs taken from children — one group from those born before the government began requiring certain food products to be fortified with folic acid, and one group born after the mandate was instituted.

Researchers found that the cerebral cortex was significantly thinner in those who received less folic acid in the womb — a characteristic associated with both autism and schizophrenia, according to the paper published in JAMA Psychiatry.

“The best thing women of child-bearing age can do is to take folic acid supplements daily,” Roffman said. “For women who don’t take supplements, exposure to fortified foods may provide some protection.”

If that means the upcoming generation is likely to be less crazy, well, good. Personally, I take folic acid for its heart-health benefits, but I’m unlikely to benefit directly from this research.