Prenatal Vitamins Linked to Reduced Autism Spectrum Disorder Recurrence Risk

Prenatal vitamins in early pregnancy were found to lower autism risk in high risk families, stated new study.

Use of prenatal vitamins by mothers was associated with a reduced risk for autism spectrum disorder recurrence in young siblings, revealed study.

This study examined whether prenatal vitamin use by mothers was associated with autism //spectrum disorder (ASD) recurrence in high-risk families.

Autism Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, Prognosis
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder typically characterized by impaired social and communication skills combined with repetitive movements.

The study included 241 children who were selected because a sibling was diagnosed with ASD. Mothers reported their use of prenatal vitamins during pregnancy. While most mothers reported taking prenatal vitamins while pregnant, only 87 (36 percent) mothers met the recommendations to take prenatal vitamins in the six months before pregnancy.

The proportion of children with ASD among mothers who took prenatal vitamins in the first month of pregnancy was 14.1 percent (18 children) compared with 32.7 percent (37 children) among those whose mothers didn't take prenatal vitamins during that time.

One limitation is that this study was observational, which means there may have been differences between the two groups that weren't accounted for during the analysis, even though the investigators accounted for many factors. Another limitation is the study's relatively small sample size. This study is important because there have been conflicting studies about whether maternal prenatal vitamin use is associated with a lower risk of ASD. More research is needed to confirm the associations observed in this study.

Quiz on Autism
Autism spectrum disorder is a complex genetic disorder that impairs social, behavioral, and communication functions in humans. Autistic people may act, communicate, interact, and learn differently than most other people. ASD usually begins in childhood and can last for the rest of a person's life, though symptoms may improve over time

Authors: Rebecca J. Schmidt, Ph.D., of the University of California, Davis, and coauthors (doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.3901)

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