Obesity and ASD

A new study now guesstimates that 1 in 53 cases of ASD may be linked to obesity during pregnancy.

First thought on this -- isn't it entirely possible that obesity during pregnancy is indicative of an unhealthy lifestyle?  Isn't it also likely that an unhealthy lifestyle, in and of itself, could cause issues for a developing fetus?

Second thought -- doesn't obesity during pregnancy mean that mom is probably not eating right?  On this note, research indicates that prenatal nutrition and nutrition during the first few months of pregnancy has a direct impact on the occurrence of ASDs.  See Rebecca Schmidt, Robin Hansen, et al., “Prenatal Vitamins, One-carbon Metabolism Gene Variants, and Risk for Autism,” Epidemiology Vol.22:4 (July 2011)).  Moreover, this research showed that women who took prenatal vitamins three months prior to conceiving and during the first month of pregnancy had a statistically significant lower chance of having a child with ASD.

Third thought -- if obesity does contribute to the issue, then seeing a good nutritionist isn't just a luxury.


Nutrition DOES matter!  Tina can help . . .