Folic Acid May Decrease Suicide Risk
A daily folic acid supplement may decrease the risk of suicide, according to a large observational study published September 28 in JAMA Psychiatry. If the findings are confirmed, folic acid may be a valuable tool in suicide prevention, according to researchers.“There are no real side effects, it doesn’t cost a lot of money, and you can get it without a prescription,” said the lead study author, Robert Gibbons, PhD, a professor of biostatistics and medicine at the University of Chicago. “This could potentially save tens of thousands of lives.”Suicide is the 12th leading cause of death in the United States, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. In 2020, 45,979 Americans died by suicide, and there were an estimated 1.2 million suicide attempts.Folic Acid: An Unlikely Candidate for Suicide Prevention Folic acid…