According to a latest research from Sacramento California, mothers of autistic children were less likely to have had consumed any iron supplements during or before their pregnancy as compared to the mothers of normal children. A researcher and professor in the Public Health Sciences Department, Rebecca J. Schmidt said that anemia is the most common nutritional deficiency disorder. Especially during pregnancy, it is said to impact around 50% of women and their children.
Iron is very important for the early development of brain, including immunity, myelination and for the neurotransmitter production. The lack of development of these three has been associated to the development of autism. Schmidt along with a few other researchers was the first to have linked folic acid supplements to reduce the risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
For the latest study, researchers analyzed data from pairs of mothers and children in order to see any links between iron intake and autism. Data on the mother’s iron, vitamins and other nutritional supplement intake was recorded while the mothers were pregnant and were breastfeeding. At the time of the study, the researchers were not given access to the number of participants or their particulars. However, they did reach the conclusion that low maternal iron intake was strongly linked to a five times higher risk of autism if the mother was older than 35 years, or if she had diabetes or hypertension.
In addition, it was also found that low iron intake and increased risk of autism in the children was during breastfeeding. Moreover, the risk was even higher if the mother was old and had metabolic issues during her pregnancy. Hence, while in their pregnancy, mothers are highly advised to consult their doctors and dieticians in case they lack any nutrition.
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