summary: New research suggests that healthy eating habits before birth may lower the risk of autism and social-communication disorders in children, according to researchers analyzing data from two large cohort studies in Norway and the UK.
The study involved 84,548 mother-child pairs from the Norwegian Mothers, Fathers, and Children Cohort Study (MoBa) and 11,670 mother-child pairs from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC).
The findings showed that mothers who maintained healthy diets during pregnancy were less likely to have children diagnosed with autism or experience social communication challenges.
These results highlight the importance of a nutritious prenatal diet and its potential impact in mitigating autism-related outcomes in the offspring.
Key Facts:
- A healthy diet during pregnancy has been found to lower the risk of a child being diagnosed with autism by 22%.
- The study found that children whose mothers had healthy diets during pregnancy had significantly fewer social communication difficulties.
- This study highlights the need for further investigation into the role of prenatal nutrition in the etiology of autism.
sauce: Neuroscience News
Recent studies provide compelling evidence that a healthy prenatal diet may significantly reduce the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and its associated social-communication disorders in children.
A new study analysing data from two large cohort studies conducted in Norway and the UK highlights the potential impact of maternal nutrition on neurodevelopmental outcomes in offspring.
introduction
The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is estimated to be 1% to 2% of the general population. ASD is a diverse neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent difficulties in social communication and restricted, repetitive behaviors and interests.
Understanding the complex etiology of autism has become an important focus of scientific research, with prenatal factors, including diet, emerging as a possible influence.
research summary
The study in question utilized data from two large prospective cohorts: the Norwegian Mothers, Fathers and Children Cohort Study (MoBa) and the UK Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). The aim of the study was to investigate the association between prenatal dietary patterns and the likelihood of an autism diagnosis and autism-related traits in children.
Participants included 84,548 mother-child pairs from the MoBa cohort and 11,670 pairs from the ALSPAC cohort.
The researchers focused on the maternal adherence to healthy dietary patterns during pregnancy, which were assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. Dietary patterns were classified as low, moderate, or high adherence to a healthy prenatal diet.
Key findings
The results of this study were significant: in the MoBa cohort, strict adherence to healthy prenatal dietary patterns was associated with a 22% lower chance of a child being diagnosed with autism.
Furthermore, in both the MoBa and ALSPAC cohorts, a healthy diet prenatally was shown to be associated with reduced odds of social-communicative difficulties at ages 3 and 8 years.
Implications for the etiology of autism
These results contribute to the advancement of our understanding of the etiology of autism. The study suggests that prenatal nutrition plays an important role in neurodevelopment and may influence the risk of ASD. Previous studies have shown that certain nutrients, such as folic acid, vitamin D, and fish oil, are beneficial during pregnancy. This study broadens the perspective by looking at overall dietary patterns rather than individual nutrients.
methodology
The researchers employed rigorous methodology to ensure the reliability of their findings, using factor analysis to derive a healthy prenatal dietary pattern that is high in fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts and whole grains, and low in red and processed meats, soft drinks, and foods high in fat and refined carbohydrates.
Outcomes were measured using standardized tools. Autism diagnosis was ascertained through the Norwegian Patient Registry of the MoBa cohort, recording all diagnoses made in the public specialist healthcare system. Autism-related traits were assessed at different ages using the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) and the Social and Communication Disorders Checklist (SCDC).
Result details
In the MoBa cohort, higher adherence to a healthy prenatal diet was associated with lower odds of an autism diagnosis (odds ratio[OR]0.051). [OR]0.78; 95% CI [CI]The study also found reduced odds of social communication disorders at age 3 years (OR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.70-0.82) and 8 years (OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.55-0.98) in both the MoBa and ALSPAC cohorts.
Interestingly, the study did not find any consistent associations with restrictive or repetitive behaviors, another core feature of autism, suggesting that different aspects of autism may have different etiological pathways and be influenced in different ways by prenatal diet.
Potential mechanisms
The study authors speculate on several mechanisms by which a healthy prenatal diet may reduce the risk of autism and associated traits. One hypothesis is that a nutritious diet supports optimal fetal brain development by providing essential nutrients that are crucial for neurodevelopment. For example, omega-3 fatty acids found in fish are known to play a role in brain structure and function.
Another potential mechanism is the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of a healthy diet: Chronic inflammation and oxidative stress are thought to be involved in neurodevelopmental disorders, and a diet high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains may help reduce these effects.
Strengths and limitations
Strengths of this study include the large sample size and prospective design, which reduce the risk of retrospective bias and allow for a more precise assessment of prenatal diet and neurodevelopmental outcomes. The use of a standardized diagnostic tool and the replication of findings across two different cohorts increase the robustness of our results.
However, the study also has limitations. Self-reported dietary data may be subject to measurement error, and a single assessment of diet during pregnancy may not capture dietary changes over time. In addition, although the researchers adjusted for a range of potential confounders, they cannot completely rule out residual unmeasured confounders.
Public health impact
These findings have important implications for public health and prenatal care: they suggest that promoting healthy dietary habits during pregnancy may be a potential strategy to reduce the risk of autism and improve neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Public health campaigns and prenatal care programs can emphasize the importance of a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts and whole grains.
Future research
This study opens several avenues for future research. Further investigations are needed to substantiate these findings and explore the underlying mechanisms in more detail. It would be beneficial to conduct studies examining the effects of specific nutrients and food groups within the context of an overall healthy diet.
Additionally, research could focus on identifying the critical period during pregnancy when diet has the greatest impact on neurodevelopment. Longitudinal studies following children beyond age 8 would also be beneficial in understanding the long-term effects of prenatal diet on autism and other neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this study provides compelling evidence that a healthy prenatal diet is associated with a reduced risk of an autism diagnosis and social-communication disorders in children.
These findings highlight the importance of maternal nutrition during pregnancy and its potential impact on neurodevelopmental outcomes in offspring. Promoting healthy dietary patterns during pregnancy may reduce the risk of autism and improve the well-being of future generations.
News about research on autism and diet
author: Neuroscience News Communication
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Original Research: Open access.
“Healthy Prenatal Diet and Autism in Children” by Catherine Friel et al. JAMA Network Open
Abstract
Healthy Prenatal Diet and Autism in Children
Importance
Prenatal diet may be causally related to autism, but findings have been inconsistent due to small sample sizes and retrospective study designs.
objective
To investigate the association between prenatal dietary patterns and autism diagnosis and autism-related traits in two large prospective cohorts, the Norwegian Cohort Study of Mothers, Fathers, and Children (MoBa) and the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC).
Design, Setup, and Participants
This cohort study used data from the MoBa and ALSPAC birth cohort studies, conducted across Norway and in southwest England, respectively. Participants were people with singleton pregnancies who self-reported food frequency questionnaires. MoBa recruited between 2002 and 2008, and ALSPAC between 1990 and 1992, and children were followed up until they were 8 years of age or older. Recruitment rates were 41% (95,200 of 277,702 eligible pregnancies) in MoBa and 72% (14,541 of 20,248 eligible pregnancies) in ALSPAC. Data analysis was conducted from 1 February 2022 to 1 August 2023.
exposure
Healthy prenatal dietary patterns were derived using factor analysis and modeled as low, moderate, or high adherence.
Main Results and Evaluation
In MoBa, the offspring outcomes were elevated autism diagnosis and Social Communication Questionnaire scores at ages 3 and 8 years, with further analyses of the subdomains of social communication difficulties and restricted and repetitive behaviors. In ALSPAC, the offspring outcomes were elevated Social Communication Difficulties Checklist scores at age 8 years. Odds ratios (ORs) were estimated using generalized nonlinear models.
result
MoBa had 84,548 pregnancies (average [SD] Age: 30.2 [4.6] Year; 43 277 [51.2%] ALSPAC had 11,760 pregnancies (average [SD] Age: 27.9 [4.7] Year; 6034 [51.3%] In the final adjusted model, higher adherence to healthy eating patterns compared with lower adherence was associated with lower odds of autism diagnosis (odds ratio 0.78, 95% confidence interval 0.66-0.92) and social communication disorders at age 3 years in MoBa (odds ratio 0.76, 95% confidence interval 0.70-0.82) and at age 8 years in ALSPAC (odds ratio 0.74, 95% confidence interval 0.55-0.98). There was no consistent evidence of associations with other outcomes.
Conclusions and relevance
In this mother-child cohort study, adherence to prenatal healthy dietary patterns was associated with lower odds of an autism diagnosis and social-communicative difficulties, but not with lower odds of restrictive or repetitive behaviors.
