Crime Times Vol.
Premature birth is a strong risk factor for criminality.
Now a study by Theresa Scholl et al. suggests that supplementing expectant mothers' diets with folic acid also may dramatically reduce the rate of premature births. Scholl et al. studied 832 inner-city pregnant women in Camden, New Jersey. Scholl and colleagues say their data are consistent with research showing that squirrel monkeys receiving folate supplements had larger infants, and with several human studies showing longer gestation periods or increased birth weight in children of mothers with adequate folate intake. 149, April 13, 1996.