Study finds autism likely in children of obese women
Source: Agencies |
April 11, 2012, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
CHILDREN born to obese women are more likely to be diagnosed with autism or related developmental delays than the children of slimmer mothers, according to a US survey.
The research, which appeared in Pediatrics, was looking for the impact on childrens' cognitive development from a variety of "metabolic conditions" in the mother, including high blood pressure or diabetes. The strongest links were found between obesity and autism-related disorders.
Although the study cannot prove that one condition causes the other, its authors caution that even the possibility is worrisome in the light of rising US obesity rates.
"If there is anything you can do to make yourself healthier, this is yet another reason for moms to consider," said Paula Krakowiak, a researcher at the University of California, Davis, who led the study.
The study comes on the heels of a report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that estimated one in every 88 children in the US has an autism spectrum disorder. That number represents about a 25 percent increase from the agency's last report in 2006.
Krakowiak and her colleagues looked at 1,004 children who were between two and five years old, born in California and already participating in a study underway at UC Davis.
Of those children, 517 had an autism spectrum disorder and 172 had developmental delays.
The research, which appeared in Pediatrics, was looking for the impact on childrens' cognitive development from a variety of "metabolic conditions" in the mother, including high blood pressure or diabetes. The strongest links were found between obesity and autism-related disorders.
Although the study cannot prove that one condition causes the other, its authors caution that even the possibility is worrisome in the light of rising US obesity rates.
"If there is anything you can do to make yourself healthier, this is yet another reason for moms to consider," said Paula Krakowiak, a researcher at the University of California, Davis, who led the study.
The study comes on the heels of a report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that estimated one in every 88 children in the US has an autism spectrum disorder. That number represents about a 25 percent increase from the agency's last report in 2006.
Krakowiak and her colleagues looked at 1,004 children who were between two and five years old, born in California and already participating in a study underway at UC Davis.
Of those children, 517 had an autism spectrum disorder and 172 had developmental delays.
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