"Swedish teenagers who consumed more folic acid got better school grades a small study published in the journal Pediatrics has found.  But dont run out and stock up on the B vitamin with the rest of your school supplies just yet one expert warns.  There is very little deficiency of folic acid in North America Deborah OConnor a nutrition researcher who was not involved in the study told Reuters Health. If youre already sufficient there is not a lot of evidence that taking more supplements will help.  She said the teens in the study might have been deficient in folic acid with levels a few times lower than whats typically seen in North American kids.  Because a lack of the nutrient during pregnancy can cause severe birth defects in babies certain foods are fortified with folic acid also called folate in North America. Most of the population is thought to get adequate amounts for that reason.  During the study Sweden did not fortify foods nor did kids use a lot of supplements. Folic acid is naturally present in green leafy vegetables and legumes.  The new study is among the first to examine whether folate is tied to school achievements according to Dr. Torbjorn Nilsson of Orebro University Hospital and his colleagues.  The researchers looked at  yearolds who were finishing up ninth grade. When all their grades from ten core classes were added up there was a clear difference between teens who got the most and the least folic acid in their diets.  Teens in the top third of folic acid intake  more than  micrograms per day for girls and  for boys  scored grades of  out of  on average. Those in the bottom third  less than  micrograms folic acid per day for girls and  for boys  had an average score of only .  The differences remained even after the researchers accounted for gender smoking the mothers education and which schools the kids went to.  OConnor of the University of Toronto and the Hospital for Sick Children in Ontario Canada called the findings pretty significant.  Still she said you cant be sure if the kids who performed better had a better diet in general or if some other hidden factor could explain the results.  Its not a randomized controlled trial so you always wonder are there other things going on that you werent able to control for she said. Like most studies it probably raises more questions than it answers.  In the U.S. kids aged  to  should get a total of  micrograms of folate a day from food and supplements according to the Institute of Medicines Dietary Reference Intakes. Kids  and older and adults are urged to get  micrograms a day and pregnant women should get  micrograms.  SOURCE bit.lycxXOG httpbit.lycxXOG Pediatrics online July  . Our StandardsThe Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. httpthomsonreuters.comenaboutustrustprinciples.html"