A small team of public health specialists from the University of Glasgow and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health report a possible link between some cases of autism and the prenatal diet.
The importance of diet during pregnancy
In their study, published in JAMANetworkOpenthe group analyzed information contained in two large databases of medical information on thousands of mothers and daughters in Norway and England.
Previous research has suggested that there appear to be dietary, genetic, and environmental factors involved in the development of autism in children while they are still in the womb, although the exact cause is still unknown. For this new study, the research team took a closer look 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 examined data from 2002 to 2008 and 1990 to 1992, which included data for children up to age 8. In total, they analyzed data from more than 95,000 mother/daughter pairs.
In their analysis, the researchers found a pattern: women who ate a “healthy diet” were 22 percent less likely to give birth to a child with autism than women who ate a less-than-healthy diet.
In their work, they defined a healthy diet as one that includes regular servings of vegetables, fruits, nuts, fish, and whole grains, and excludes high-fat foods, processed meats, soft drinks, and refined carbohydrates.
They also found that children born to mothers who regularly ate a healthy diet during pregnancy were 24 percent less likely to develop social and/or communication problems independent 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 stresses that the study does not explain why women who eat a healthier diet may reduce their risk of having an autistic child, although they theorize that it may have something to do with how foods affect DNA or the immune system. They also note that their data could not show whether the impact of diet was causal or due to other factors.
Mother’s diet during pregnancy may protect offspring’s heart
Researchers at Monash University have found that eating a high-fibre diet during pregnancy can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in offspring.
The discovery is described in research published in Circulation Research and reveals a strong link between a mother’s diet during pregnancy and the long-term heart health of her baby.
“Dietary fibre, found in foods such as fruit, vegetables and whole grains, is known for its health benefits,” said lead researcher Professor Francine Marques, from the Monash University School of Biological Sciences.
“Our research shows that its impact extends beyond the mother and can shape the development of the baby’s heart,” she said.
The research team found that a high-fiber diet in pregnant mice led to:
•Healthier gut and gut bacteria: A healthier gut and gut microbiome (community of bacteria) in both mothers and their offspring.
•Reduced inflammation: Lower levels of inflammation in the hearts of the offspring.
•Healthier hearts: Improved function in offspring exposed to high blood pressure
Less scar formation: Reduced cardiac fibrosis (scarring) in the offspring’s heart.
“Our work also sheds light on how fiber exerts its protective effects across generations,” said Professor Marques. “Fiber promotes the production of beneficial molecules called short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the gut.”
“These SCFAs travel through the mother’s bloodstream and cross the placenta during development, where they can influence genetic activity in the heart, promoting healthier heart development.”
Although the study was conducted on mice, the findings have significant implications for human health.
“Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death worldwide and this research suggests that a simple change in diet during pregnancy could have lifelong beneficial effects on children,” said Professor Marques.
“Our work adds to the growing evidence highlighting the importance of a healthy diet during pregnancy.
“Mothers-to-be are advised to discuss their diet with their doctor to ensure they are getting enough fiber to support their health and that of their babies.”
The researchers are excited about the potential of this discovery and plan to continue exploring the complex relationship between maternal diet, gut health, and cardiovascular disease.
Future studies will focus on translating these findings into practical recommendations for pregnant women to optimize the cardiac health of their babies.
Poor-quality maternal diet during pregnancy may be associated with late childhood obesity
A low-quality diet, rich in foods and food components associated with chronic inflammation, during pregnancy may be associated with an increased risk of obesity and excess body fat in children, especially during later childhood. The findings are published in the open access journal BMC Medicine.
Researchers at University College Dublin, Ireland, found that children of mothers who ate a higher-quality diet, low in foods associated with inflammation, during pregnancy had a lower risk of obesity and lower levels of body fat in later childhood than children whose mothers ate a lower-quality diet, high in foods associated with inflammation, during pregnancy. This association was not observed in early or middle childhood.
Ling-Wei Chen, corresponding author, said: “Childhood obesity often persists into adulthood and is associated with a higher risk of chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes. Growing evidence suggests that maternal diet influences pregnancy and birth outcomes and points to the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, from conception to age 2, as a critical period for preventing childhood obesity.
Our research suggests that children born to mothers who eat a low-quality diet, high in foods associated with inflammation, during pregnancy may be more likely to have obesity or excess body fat in later childhood than those born to mothers who eat a high-quality diet, low in foods associated with inflammation.”
To examine the effects of maternal diet on the likelihood of childhood obesity and excess body fat, the authors analyzed data collected from 16,295 mother-child pairs in seven European birth cohort studies, from Ireland, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Poland, who are involved in the ALPHABET consortium. On average, mothers were 30 years old and had a healthy BMI. Mothers reported the foods they ate before and during pregnancy.
The researchers assessed diet quality and whether the diets were high in foods and food components associated with chronic inflammation, such as saturated fats, refined carbohydrates, and red and processed meat.
Children’s BMI was calculated in early, middle, and late childhood. Additional data on children’s body composition during middle or late childhood were collected in five of the cohorts included in the study.
Researchers found that children born to mothers who ate diets high in foods associated with inflammation during pregnancy tended to have lower levels of lean body mass, which indicates lower levels of muscle mass, in later childhood than those whose mothers ate diets low in foods associated with inflammation. Previous research has found that low levels of muscle mass may be associated with a higher risk of combined diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.
An association between a lower-quality maternal diet, rich in foods associated with inflammation, and lower levels of lean body mass in later childhood was found to be stronger in boys than in girls. An association between a lower-quality maternal diet, rich in foods associated with inflammation, and higher levels of body fat in middle childhood was stronger in girls than in boys.
Catherine Phillips, principal investigator and coordinator of the ALPHABET project, said: “Previous research has suggested that lower maternal carbohydrate intake in early pregnancy may induce epigenetic changes – changes that alter gene expression – in children that may be associated with an increased risk of obesity.
We propose that a lower-quality maternal diet, rich in foods associated with inflammation, may similarly induce epigenetic changes and that this may increase the risk of children being obese or having excess body fat in later childhood.
Our findings suggest that promoting an overall healthy diet, rich in fruits and vegetables and low in refined carbohydrates and red and processed meats, during pregnancy may help prevent childhood obesity.”
The authors caution that the observational nature of the study does not allow conclusions about a causal relationship between maternal diet and childhood obesity and excess body fat. Future research should take into account in more detail other factors that may influence childhood obesity risk, such as childhood physical activity and diet, the authors say.
#Prenatal #diet #play #role #autism
