A small team of public health experts from the University of Glasgow and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health has reported that there may be a link between some cases of autism and prenatal diet.
In their research, Published in JAMA Network OpenThe research group analysed two large databases of medical information on thousands of mothers and daughters in Norway and the UK.
Previous studies have shown that diet, genetics, Environmental factors Involved in development autism “While the causes of breast cancer in prenatal infants are still unclear, it is difficult to detect early. In this new study, the team looked more closely at the role of diet in the development of breast cancer,” said Dr.
The researchers analyzed patient information from two large databases: the Avon Parent-Child Longitudinal Study and the Norwegian Mother-Child Cohort Study. They looked at data from 2002 to 2008 and 1990 to 1992, including data on children up to age 8. In all, they analyzed data from more than 95,000 mother-daughter pairs.
As part of their analysis, the researchers found a pattern: women who adhered to a “healthy diet” were 22% less likely to give birth to a child with autism than women who followed an unhealthy diet.
In their study, a healthy diet was defined as one that regularly consumed vegetables, fruits, nuts, fish, and whole grains, and that was low in fatty foods, processed meats, and Soft drink Refined carbohydrates.
In addition, periodically Healthy diet Social and/or Communication issues In both cases, the researchers noted, the association was stronger for mother-daughter dyads than for mother-son dyads, regardless of whether the individual had autism or not.
The researchers note that the study doesn’t explain why women who eat a healthy diet have a reduced risk of having a child with autism, but they hypothesize that it may have to do with the effects of food on DNA or immune processes. They also note that the data couldn’t show whether the effect of diet was causal or due to other factors.
For more information:
Catherine Friel et al. “Healthy Prenatal Diet and Autism in Offspring” JAMA Network Open (2024). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.22815
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