Children with abnormalities are more likely to be born to mothers with excess weight
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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In women who are overweight or have diabetes, the risk of having a child with autism or another developmental disorder is higher, say American scientists at the University of California at Davis.
According to them, high blood glucose in the blood of a future mother during pregnancy can adversely affect the development of the brain of the embryo.
The study, which was conducted for seven years (from 2003 to 2010), involved 1000 women and children (aged from two to five years).
In the US state of California, where the study was conducted, 1.3% of women suffer from type 2 diabetes; another 7.4% of women developed diabetes during pregnancy.
Among children who were observed by scientists and whose mothers were sick with type 2 diabetes, 9.3% had autism.
And 11.6% of the children in this group had signs of other abnormalities in development. This is almost twice as much as in children whose mothers did not suffer from a metabolic disorder.
More than 20% of autistic mothers and children with retarded development were obese.
Cognitive abilities
In the United States, as indicated in the study, 34% of women of childbearing age are obese and about 9% are diabetic.
Approximately 29% of autistic children were born to mothers who had excess weight, diabetes or high blood pressure during pregnancy.
About 35% of the children of mothers of the same group suffered other developmental disabilities, while in the control group there were 19%.
Scientists also investigated whether there is a link between hypertension and autism and other diseases, but on the basis of the statistics it is impossible to give an unambiguous answer to it.
As for cognitive abilities, then, as experts found out, among autistic children of mothers-diabetics showed lower results in tests on checking the ability to express themselves and communication skills.
All autistic mothers with metabolic disorders showed lower test results.
Researchers point out that obesity is a very serious risk factor for the onset of diabetes and hypertension.
Perspective job
According to a psychiatrist from the University of California at Davis Polya Krakoviak, this scientific study is very important.
"Our results showing a possible link between a mother's illness and abnormalities in the development of a child are very worrying and can be of great importance for the healthcare system," she said.
The head of the British Center for the Study of Diabetes, Matthew Hobbs, argues that this study needs to be continued to clarify the questions, the answers to which in the course of this work could not be obtained.
"It should be noted that although this study points to a link between diabetes in the mother and various abnormalities in the development of children, the study did not prove that diabetes causes these disorders," he said. "Our recommendation to diabetics remains the same: you must inform your treating endocrinologist that you plan to have a baby, and then together you can do everything necessary to ensure the normal course of pregnancy and the birth of a healthy child. "
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