Food and Behaviour Research

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Study suggests prenatal diet may play a role in autism

by Bob Yirka

Credit: Amina Filkins from Pexels

These findings highlight the association between prenatal diet and offspring autism-related outcomes and contribute to the evolving understanding of autism etiology.

FAB RESEARCH COMMENT:

Children born to mothers following a 'healthy' dietary pattern during pregnancy 
  • had a 22% lower risk of developing Autistic Spectrum Disorder, and
  • were 24% less likely to develop social and/or communication problems - irrespective of autism
according to findings from this new analysis of detailed data from two large birth cohort studies, one in the UK (11 760 pregnancies) and one in Norway (84 548 pregnancies).

A healthy dietary pattern was d
efined as one that
  • included regular servings of vegetables, fruits, nuts, fish and whole grains, and
  • excluded foods high in fat, processed meats, soft drinks and refined carbohydrates
- i.e. a traditional Mediterreanean or Nordic-type diet, rather than a modern, western diet rich in ultra-processed foods.

As the researchers emphasise, observational studies can never provide firm evidence of cause-and-effect relationships. However, the comprehensive and systematic nature of these datasets allowed them to control for numerous factors - other than diet - that are already known to increase risks for autism and related childhood behaviour and learning difficulties. 

These findings are also consistent with a huge and growing body of evidence from multiple sources (including animal studies and human clinical trials that can address questions of causality) that nutrition in early life can - and does - affect brain development and function.

For details of the underlying research, see:


For further information please see:


See also:

19/07/2024 - Medical Xpress

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A small team of public health specialists from the University of Glasgow and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health reports a possible link between some cases of autism and prenatal diet.
 
In their study, published in JAMA Network Open, the group analyzed information in two large databases of medical information on thousands of mothers and daughters in Norway and England.
 
Prior research has suggested that there appears to be diet, genetic and environmental factors involved in the development of autism in children while they are still in the womb, though the exact cause is still unknown. For this new study, the research team looked more closely at the role of diet in its development.
 
The researchers analyzed patient information from two large databases: the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children and the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study. The researchers looked at data for the years 2002 through 2008 and 1990 through 1992, which included data for children up to age 8. In all, they analyzed data for more than 95,000 mother/daughter pairs.
 
As part of their analysis, the researchers found a pattern—women who adhered to a "healthy diet" have a 22% lower chance of delivering a child with autism than women who ate a less-than-healthy diet.
 
In their work, they defined a healthy diet as one that included regular servings of vegetables, fruits, nuts, fish and whole grains, and excluded foods high in fat, processed meats, soft drinks and refined carbohydrates.
 
They also found that children born to mothers who regularly ate a healthy diet while pregnant were 24% less likely to develop social and/or communication problems irrespective of autism. The researchers noted that the association in both cases was stronger in mother/daughter pairs than in mother/son pairs.
 
The research team points out that the study does not explain why women eating a healthier diet may reduce their risk of having an autistic child, though they theorize that it might have something to do with how foods affect DNA or the immune process.

They also note that their data was not able to show whether the impact of diet was causal in nature or due to other factors.