SynthesisPloS one2025
The association between maternal prenatal folic acid and multivitamin supplementation and autism spectrum disorders in offspring: An umbrella review.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- A to Z of Health: An Evidence-Based Narrative Review of Multivitamin-Multimineral and Nutraceutical Supplementation.Cureus · 2026Review
- Advancing understanding of the mechanisms of autism spectrum disorder through perinatal risk factors.Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
15 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPrevious reviews have examined the association between maternal prenatal use of folic acid and multivitamin supplements and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children, but findings remain inconclusive. This umbrella review aims to synthesise the existing evidence on the association between prenatal folic acid and multivitamin supplementation and the risk of ASD in offspring.
methodsThis umbrella review followed the PRISMA guidelines to synthesise and report evidence from existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses (SRMs). Articles were searched in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. The quality of included studies was assessed using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR). A weighted inverse variance random-effects model was applied to estimate pooled effects. The association was quantified using relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis were also conducted. Heterogeneity and publication bias were assessed.
resultsEight SRMs comprising 101 primary studies and over three million mother-offspring pairs were included. Prenatal folic acid and/or multivitamin supplementation was associated with a 30% reduced risk of ASD in offspring (RR = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.62, 0.78; GRADE: highly suggestive). Subgroup analysis by supplement type showed that maternal prenatal multivitamin supplementation reduced the risk of ASD by 34% (RR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.55-0.80; GRADE: highly suggestive), while folic acid supplementation was associated with a 30% reduction in ASD risk (RR = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.60-0.83; GRADE: highly suggestive).
conclusionMaternal prenatal folic acid and multivitamin supplementation are associated with a reduced risk of ASD in offspring. These findings have important public health implications, suggesting that prenatal supplementation could help mitigate the risk of ASD in children.
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Registered trials
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