A new study suggests that supplementation with iron during pregnancy can prevent diseases of the autism spectrum in children, according to an online edition for girls and women aged 14 to 35. Pannochka. net Scientists have found that mothers, whose children suffer from autism, during this period did not use enough iron.

The authors of the study say that mothers aged 35 years and older who consumed little iron had a 5-fold greater risk of having children with autism.

Other risk factors were metabolic disorders - obesity, diabetes and hypertension. For participants who used a normal amount of iron with food and drugs, the risk of autism in children was below the average.

Recall that autism is a developmental disorder characterized by social and speech deficits, as well as repetitive behaviors. The causes and mechanisms of the development of autism are not well understood.

"Although the results of the study need to be checked, our work reinforces the current practice of prescribing vitamins (folic acid) and trace elements (iron) during pregnancy," says Dr. Rebecca Schmidt, lead author of the work, professor of public health at the University of California at Davis.

Iron deficiency, often associated with anemia, is one of the most common nutrient deficiencies during pregnancy, which occurs in 40-50% of pregnant women. Deficiency of iron in the early period of a child's life can lead to a disruption of thinking, mental development, social interaction and speech.

Previous work of this same group of scientists showed that between the level of iron in the body and autism there is a connection. Children with autism often suffer from iron deficiency. According to Professor Schmidt, this could mean that they can not metabolize or metabolize iron efficiently.

Iron is extremely important for the development of the brain, as it is involved in the synthesis of neurotransmitters, myelination of nerve cells and immune function. All these three functions of iron were associated with autism in previous studies.

Scientists also note that children with autism are usually born before the children with normal development. Their mothers are more likely to have an education at the college level, but not higher; they smoke cigarettes more often, buy private medical insurance less often, and less often own their own housing.

The study, published on September 22 in the online journal American Journal of Epidemiology, included 520 couples of mothers and children with autism, as well as 346 pairs of mothers and healthy children. All were included in the Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and the Environment (CHARGE) study, which was conducted in the State of California from 2003 to 2009.

Scientists analyzed the intake of iron, vitamins, cereals for breakfast (which are usually enriched with iron) and other food supplements for three months before conception and until the end of pregnancy, as well as during lactation. For data collection, specially trained interviewers were connected.

It turned out that the less iron was used by pregnant women, especially before conception and in the first trimester, the higher the risk of having children with diseases of the spectrum of autism.

Dr.

Andrew Adesman, head of the Department of Pediatrics Behavior and Development at the Cohen Children's Medical Center in New York, says the results of this study are very useful. According to him, this is another reason to consume more iron during pregnancy.

Nevertheless, Dr. Eidsman notes that the study did not become some kind of colossal breakthrough. He said: "This is not an answer like we-now-all-know-about-autism. This is very useful information, although it must be remembered - these studies have shown that women with normal iron levels still have children with autism ".

medbe. en.