1 Departments of Paediatrics, Queen's University and Kingston General Hospital Kingston, Ontario
Thirteen small birth weight babies were studied; six were given folic acid by mouth (5 mg twice a day from the third to the twenty-first day of life) and seven were given a placebo mixture. The babies' behavior was rated in terms of activity or lethargy by the nurses and the plasma tyrosine levels were measured chromatographically. The administration of folic acid failed to prevent the occurrence of hypertyrosinemia and no association was found between the babies' activity and the plasma tyrosine level.
This work was supported by a Public Health Grant (No. 605-7-280) of the National Health Grants Programme and the Queen Elizabeth II Canadian Research Fund.