Abstract: In a large study analyzing more than 60,000 mother-child pairs, Western diets during pregnancy (highly fat, sugar and processed foods) are associated with a significant increase in the risk of ADHD and autism in children. Even a small shift to Western diet was correlated with a 66% higher risk of ADHD and a 122% higher risk of autism.
The strongest association was observed between the first and second parts, suggesting that early fetal brain development is particularly sensitive to maternal nutrition. The researchers identified specific diet-related blood metabolites that could explain this connection, highlighting the possibility of dietary interventions to support neurodevelopment.
Important facts
Increased risk: Western diet during pregnancy was associated with a 66% higher risk of ADHD and a 122% higher risk of autism. Critical Window: Strongest Relevances were found in Parts 1 and 2, highlighting early fetal brain sensitivity.
Source: University of Copenhagen
Smoking, alcohol and an unhealthy diet have long been known to affect fetal development.
Currently, comprehensive clinical studies at the University of Copenhagen and Copenhagen, as well as future studies on childhood asthma at the Denmark Pediatric Asthma Centre, Helev and Ghentofte Hospital, have found an association between maternal diet during pregnancy and the development of ADHD in children and autism.
“Women’s adherence to Western diets during pregnancy (more fat, sugar and refined products, but fewer fish, vegetables and fruits, but appear to be at a higher risk for children developing ADHD or autism.”
This study used data-driven analysis to identify Western dietary patterns. Even a moderate shift along this dietary spectrum was associated with a significantly increased risk. For example, slight deviations to the more Western diet were associated with a 66% increase in the risk of ADHD and a 122% increase in the risk of autism.
However, this also offers an opportunity. Even small dietary adjustments that depart from Western patterns can reduce the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders.
Over 60,000 mother-child pairs analyzed were analyzed
To reach these findings, researchers analyze dietary patterns, blood samples, and ADHD diagnosis across four large independent cohorts in Denmark and the United States, covering more than 60,000 mother-child pairs.
Blood samples were analyzed using metabolomics to link dietary disorders to provide insight into biological mechanisms that act as a method of validating the results.
According to David Horner, links between western dietary patterns and ADHD were observed in all four cohorts and validated using three different methods.
This study is based on a highly detailed and robust dataset in which nearly 600 children at age 10 have been clinically evaluated for neurodevelopmental disorders. To ensure reliability of the findings, researchers described a variety of factors, including genetics, known to play a major role in neurodevelopmental disorders.
However, there remained a clear link between maternal Western diet and ADHD and the risk of autism.
“Western dietary patterns during pregnancy are associated with neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood and adolescents,” a study published today in the Honorable Journal Natural Metabolism.
The biggest risks of early pregnancy
One of the key strengths of this study is the high quality of biological samples containing repeated metabolomic measurements throughout pregnancy and childhood. This allowed researchers to demonstrate that dietary associations regarding ADHD risk were the strongest in early and mid-term pregnancies.
“Comparing across cohorts, we observed the strongest associations in Sections 1 and 2. Brain development during this period suggests that it is particularly sensitive to the effects of maternal nutrition,” explains Professor Morten Allend Rasmussen, senior author of the University of Copenhagen.
Researchers have identified 43 specific metabolites in maternal blood that are associated with Western diets, and helped explain the relationship between diet and neurodevelopmental disorders.
“We found that 15 of these 43 metabolites are particularly associated with an increased risk of ADHD. Many of these metabolites come from dietary intake and play an important role in regulating inflammation and oxidative stress.
Are current dietary guidelines effective for pregnant women?
According to David Horner, the study raises important questions about whether current dietary guidelines for pregnant women are sufficient.
In Denmark, dietary recommendations for pregnant women primarily reflect recommendations from the general population, highlighting a balanced diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and fish rather than lean meat.
“We know that nutritional demand increases during pregnancy. Our research highlights how important dietary composition is for fetal development. While Nordic diets are often considered healthy, our data show that many pregnant women follow dietary patterns that can be optimized to better support their child’s development.
“This study raises the question of whether existing dietary recommendations are well followed during pregnancy and whether they have a desirable impact on the health of the child,” says David Horner.
He added that the study not only shows a link between diet and the risk of ADHD, but also provides insight into specific nutrients and food groups that may play an important role in fetal brain development.
“Our analysis not only confirms a strong link between diet and ADHD risk, but also identifies specific nutrients and foods that may serve as the basis for improving dietary guidelines and prevention strategies.
“Understanding how maternal diet affects fetal development will allow us to better identify key nutrients and dietary adjustments needed to reduce the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders. This opens up new possibilities to refine dietary recommendations and promote healthier outcomes for future generations.”
Research details
This study was conducted by the University of Copenhagen in collaboration with the Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC) and the US VDAART Cohort.
Important findings:
This study finds a strong association between Western dietary patterns during pregnancy and an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders, including ADHD and autism.
The findings of ADHD were examined in three independent maternal and child cohorts.
The strongest association between Western diet and the risk of ADHD was observed in stages 1 and 2, suggesting that fetal brain development during this period is particularly sensitive to maternal nutrition.
Methodology:
Using a combination of dietary records, blood analysis, genetic data, and clinical diagnosis from four large maternal and child cohorts, the researchers investigated whether Western diet during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of ADHD and autism in children.
Four cohorts analyzed:
COPSAC2010 (Denmark, 508 mother-child pairs) – ADHD diagnosis in the primary cohort with detailed neurodevelopmental clinical assessment 10 years later, and five metabolomic time points of fetal dry blood spot metabolomics, and national birth cohort (DNBC, Denmark, 59,725 mother-child pairs) of adoptive pairs based on 59,725 mother-child pairs (DNBC, Denmark, Denmark, 59,725 mother-child pairs) – In relation to ADHD.COPSAC2000 (Denmark, 348 mother-child pairs), it is used to validate dietary patterns and blood metabolites in both pregnancy and childhood – used to analyze western blood staining spots to identify western blood staining spots. Symptoms.
limit:
This is an observational study and shows strong statistical associations, but has not ultimately proven that Western diets cause ADHD or autism.
Dietary information is collected through a self-reported food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and may introduce recall bias or inaccuracy. However, dietary patterns were identified using data-driven methods (minimizing bias), and machine learning models were employed to identify metabolite scores as objective biomarkers. ADHD and autism have a high genetic component (up to 80% hereditary). Women with a more Western diet often have a higher BMI, smoke during pregnancy, use more antibiotics, and can independently affect the development of the child. Although this study adjusted for these factors, it cannot completely rule out the effects of other lifestyles.
About this news on pregnancy, diet and neurodevelopment.
Author: Michael Jensen
Source: University of Copenhagen
Contact: Michael Jensen – University of Copenhagen
Image: Image credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Closed Access.
“Western dietary patterns during pregnancy associated with larvae of neurodevelopment in childhood and adolescence,” David Horner et al. Natural metabolism
Abstract
Western dietary patterns during pregnancy are associated with larvae of neurodevelopment in childhood and adolescence
Despite the high prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders, the effects of maternal diet during pregnancy on child neurodevelopment are still not considered.
Here we show that Western dietary patterns during pregnancy are associated with neurodevelopmental disorders in children.
We analyze self-reported maternal dietary patterns at 24 weeks of pregnancy and analyze neurodevelopmental disorders (n = 508) clinically assessed at age 10 in the COPSAC2010 cohort.
It has an important association with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism diagnosis.
We examine the ADHD findings of three large, independent maternal and child cohorts (n = 59,725, n = 656 and n = 348) through self-reported dietary modeling, maternal blood metabolomics, and fetal blood metabolites.
Metabolomic analysis identifies 15 mediated metabolites during pregnancy that improve ADHD prediction.
Longitudinal blood metabolomic analysis incorporating five time points per cohort into two independent cohorts reveals that the association between western dietary pattern metabolite scores and neurodevelopmental outcomes is consistently important in early pregnancy.
These findings highlight the potential for targeted prenatal dietary interventions to prevent neurodevelopmental disorders and highlight the importance of early interventions.
