The cause of autism still remains a mystery to scientists who continue to find ways to prevent and treat children that develop autism spectrum disorder. A new study may actually bring us one step closer to doing that.
The use of iron supplements during pregnancy may actually influence whether or not a child develops autism, a new study finds. Mothers with autistic children were significantly less likely to have taken iron supplements before and after pregnancy than those who had children that seemed to develop normally, according to the study published this week in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
What's more, mothers who were 35 or older that had a low iron intake had a five times greater chance of having a child with autism. Women with metabolic conditions, such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes were also at greater risk for giving birth to children with autism.
In the study, researchers looked at 520 pairs of mothers and children with autism and 346 pairs of mothers and children developing normally who were all enrolled in the Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and the Environment study in California from 2002 to 2009. Researchers analyzed the iron intake of the mothers, which included vitamins, cereals and other nutritional supplements, during the three months before conception to the end of each mother's pregnancy and during breast-feeding.
Iron deficiency is especially common during pregnancy and affects 40 to 50 percent of women and their infants, according to the researchers. Iron is important for early brain development, especially neurotransmitter production, myelination and immune function, all three of which have been associated with autism, said Rebecca J. Schmidt, one of the researchers of the study, in a press release.
But before you decide to only eat iron-enriched foods during your pregnancy, Schmidt said she and the researchers "want to be cautious and wait until this study has been replicated." However, the study does reinforce the need for pregnant women to take the recommended dose of vitamins and folic acid.
This study might not have cracked the code about what causes autism just yet, but it at least provides some hope that the answers are out there.
