BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:

• Research suggests autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may develop prenatally
• Previous studies are conflicting regarding whether maternal nutrition may impact ASD
• Confounding factors such as socioeconomic factors, general disease and pregnancy characteristics can impact results
• Using multiple strategies to account for confounders, DeVilbiss et al. (BMJ, 2017) assessed whether nutritional supplementation during pregnancy is associated with reduce risk of ASD with and without intellectual disability in offspring

METHODS:

• Observational prospective cohort study (2001 – 2011)
• Multivariable logistic regression, sibling controls, and propensity score matching strategies were used to address confounders
• Mother-child pairs were assessed for their exposure to multivitamin, iron, and folic acid supplement
• Main outcomes were diagnosis of ASD with and without intellectual disability in children

RESULTS:

• Study sample was 237,107 mother-child pairs
• Follow up was 4 to 15 years
• Lower likelihood of ASD with intellectual disability compared with non-use of multivitamins, iron, and folic acid in all analyses (odds ratio 0.69, 95% confidence interval 0.57 to 0.84) but statistical significance in logistic regression vs trending in other approaches
  • Multivitamin use was not associated with ASD without intellectual disability
• There was no consistent evidence that either iron or folic acid use were inversely associated with ASD prevalence

CONCLUSION:

• Maternal multivitamin supplementation during pregnancy may be associated with reduced risk for ASD with intellectual disability in offspring
• Further studies are needed to assess the relationship between maternal nutrition and autism and if there is a critical time regarding exposure
• Authors note that supplementation varies between countries and could explain inconsistent results in the literature

Learn More – Primary Sources:

Antenatal nutritional supplementation and autism spectrum disorders in the Stockholm youth cohort: population based cohort study

Related ObG Topics:

NTDs and Pregnancy – Folic Acid Recommendations

Do Multivitamins Reduce Risk for Adverse Birth Outcomes?

(Cochrane 2016) Vitamin D During Pregnancy and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes

Vitamin B3 (Niacin) and its Role in Preventing Birth Defects