Mothers of children with autism are significantly less likely to report taking iron supplements before and during their pregnancies than the mothers of children who are developing normally, a study by researchers at the University of California, Davis MIND Institute has found.
Low iron intake was associated with a five-fold greater risk of autism in the child if the mother was 35 or older at the time of the child's birth or if she suffered from metabolic conditions such as obesity, hypertension or diabetes.
"The association between lower maternal iron intake and increased ASD risk was strongest during breastfeeding, after adjustment for folic acid intake," said Rebecca J Schmidt, assistant professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences and a researcher affiliated with the MIND Institute.
"Further, the risk associated with low maternal iron intake was much greater when the mother was also older and had metabolic conditions during her pregnancy," said Schmidt.
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The study was conducted in mother-child pairs enrolled in the Northern California-based Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and the Environment (CHARGE) Study between 2002 and 2009.
Researchers examined maternal iron intake among the study's participants, including vitamins, other nutritional supplements, and breakfast cereals during the three months prior to through the end of the women's pregnancies and breastfeeding.
The mothers' daily iron intake was examined, including the frequency, dosages and the brands of supplements that they consumed.
"Iron deficiency, and its resultant anaemia, is the most common nutrient deficiency, especially during pregnancy, affecting 40 to 50 per cent of women and their infants," Schmidt said.
"Iron is crucial to early brain development, contributing to neurotransmitter production, myelination and immune function. All three of these pathways have been associated with autism," said Schmidt.