New Research Suggests There May Be A Link Between Prenatal Diet And Autism, With Women Who Followed A Healthy Diet Having A 22% Lower Chance Of Having A Child With Autism
A team of researchers from the University of Glasgow and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health has identified a possible link between autism and prenatal diet. They analyzed data from thousands of mothers and daughters in England and Norway.
Previously, research has suggested that diet, genetics, and environment all play a role in the development of autism in children while they are still in the womb.
“However, the exact mechanisms are not fully understood, and in addition to prenatal diet, many environmental factors have been related to autism, such as nutritional supplements, maternal BMI, environmental toxins, medications, and illness/infection,” said Catherine Friel, a dietitian and Ph.D. student at the University of Glasgow in Scotland.
In the new study, the team took a closer look at how diet is involved in the development of autism. They combed through patient information from two large databases: the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study and the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. They studied data from two time periods between the years of 2002 and 2008, as well as 1990 to 1992.
They included data for children up to eight years old. Overall, they looked at data for more than 95,000 pairs of mothers and daughters.
The researchers detected a pattern—women who followed a “healthy diet” had a 22 percent reduced chance of having a child with autism than women who ate a not-so-healthy diet.
The researchers defined a healthy diet as one consisting of regular servings of fruit, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, and fish. A healthy diet should also exclude processed meats, soft drinks, foods high in fat, and refined carbohydrates.
Participants of the study were categorized into three groups: high adherence to healthy dietary habits, medium adherence, and low adherence.
In addition, it was discovered that children born to mothers who stuck to a consistently healthy diet while pregnant were 24 percent less likely to develop social and communication problems. The association was stronger in mother/daughter pairs than in mother/son pairs.
lordn – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
It is unclear exactly why the association exists, but the researchers have suggested that prenatal diets may have an impact on DNA expression and help to regulate immune processes.
Nutrients received from diet may have a specific effect on neural formation. It may also have something to do with the antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties of the nutrients.
The researchers noted that these were just speculations made from observations. Finally, the team pointed out that following a healthy diet is not the sole factor that influences a child’s likelihood of developing autism.
There may be other factors like genetics and parental caregiving that were not accounted for in the analysis.
Around 80 percent of autism cases can be linked to genetic mutations that are inherited. So, even if a mother sticks to a healthy diet, her child may still receive an autism diagnosis.
The study was published in Jama Network Open.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
More About:Science