Another nonsense article:




In yet another study underscoring the importance of good maternal health, researchers are now linking, diabetes and hypertension with neurodevelopmental problems, including autism, in children.

Autism spectrum disorders currently affect about 1 in 88 children in the U.S.

"These are associated risk factors -- they are not saying 'causes'," said Alycia Halladay, director of research for environmental sciences with Autism Speaks, one of the nation's largest autism advocacy groups.

"But this is an important study because it identifies maternal health conditions that may be actionable risk factors," she said. "These are things that parents -- specifically women -- can modify."

In the new study, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, researchers used data from the "Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and the Environment" study, focusing on about 1,000 children ages 2 to 5. Within that group, nearly 500 children had autism, about 200 had other developmental disorders and 300 were considered normal.

Obese mothers had 1.6 times the chance of having a child with autism and were more than twice as likely to have a child with another developmental disorder.

Maternal diabetes and neurodevelopment disabilities were linked: Moms with diabetes were more than twice as likely to have a child with developmental delays, and their children also did worse on language and communication tests.

Overall, the researchers say their findings raise concerns that obesity, diabetes and hypertension in mothers may be associated with neurodevelopmental problems in children. The potential public health impact, they say, is significant. The prevalence of obesity and diabetes among women of childbearing age in the U.S. is 34 percent and 8.7 percent, respectively.

"We chose these three conditions because they were related," said Paula Krakowiak, a researcher with the MIND Institute at UC Davis in California and one of the study's authors. "The underlying mechanism that we were interested in is one that involves insulin resistance."

The authors hypothesize that in diabetic and pre-diabetic pregnancies, poorly regulated maternal glucose levels can hamper fetal development. Krakowiak also suggested that certain immune biomarkers related to insulin resistance and chronic inflammation can cross over the placenta and impact development of the fetus.

But the researcher also echoed Halladay's caution, stressing that the study does not attempt to -- and cannot -- confirm any condition as a cause.

"In our study, since it's retrospective in nature, we were not able to actually measure biomarkers and see if this is what's going on in these others," Krakowiak said, adding that it is quite possible the associations are simply that. "Those are the limitations, but at the same time, we did see an association in general."

Dr. John C. Pomeroy, division chief of developmental disabilities at the Cody Center for autism and developmental disabilities at Stony Brook Medicine, added that the study is somewhat limited by the nebulous distinction of "other developmental disorders."

"Overall, my sense is that it's telling us that these metabolic conditions -- particularly hypertension, diabetes and obesity -- seem to be general risk factors," he said. "The question of whether or not they're specific for autism, is a little less clear."

But while such questions remain, the experts agree that the study suggests yet another reason why women should take steps to control these metabolic risk factors during pregnancy. This, despite the fact that the current research does not clarify what impact an obese mother, for example, can have in limiting her baby's risk if she is already pregnant, or if that change must come before.

"We certainly don't want to come across saying that overweight women are the reason why children are becoming autistic," said Halladay. "But women who are in these high-risk categories should be seeing health care professionals anyway. As they become pregnant, they can try and manage their blood sugar correctly."

And women should remember that ultimately, while such studies draw attention to the importance of overall maternal health particularly when it comes to their children's neurodevelopmental health, the odds of having a normal, healthy baby are in their favor, reminded Dr. Thomas Wilson, chief of pediatric endocrinology at the Stony Brook Children's Hospital.

"Obviously, autism and developmental disorders are hot topics and everybody would like to know what the causes here," he said. "In the end, it's probably going to be a lot of things."


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/06...09012.html

Ah, so it IS caused by Refrigerator Mummies: when mummy goes to the refrigerator too often and eats too much! XD
Alison

This post was last modified: 04-10-2012 02:39 AM by Alison.

Although my mother was and is a tiny little lady, size 6-8 all her life and never a sniff of diabetes or high blood pressure.  As is my mother-in-law, a lovely tiny lady who has one son dx'd Aspie (my husband's older brother).  Oh, and as for me, both myself and my daughter are dx'd Aspie.  I'm certain in my own mind that it's genetic, but then, I'm no scientist.  
Alison

This post was last modified: 04-10-2012 02:47 AM by Alison.

My father was 21 and my mother was 20 when I was conceived.  Frankly, I think there's political agendas behind this. Panic and desperation makes money for the various players (interest groups) involved.

I heard that on WTOP. Mom was thin as a rail with no diabetes or hypertension.

Mom was 33 and Dad 39 when I was born

I'm actually super depressed over this y'all.  Not because I believe it - because I tried to debunk it based on my on family to some others and they sneered at me for "anecdotal evidence (even though this study proves nothing) then went on their rounds of sneering at both fat people for being undisciplined lazy pigs and the usual pity party for autistic kids whose lazy fat parents made them that way.

My mother weighed 106 pounds when she got pregnant with me. My father was a beanpole. My grandmother was thin when she gave birth to my uncle who is probably autistic (but they weren't diagnosing it then for mild cases - 1950s) my sister's little girl shows signs of autism and my sister wears a size two. I said to these people it's - DUH - hereditary (which HAS been suggested by multiple studies, not just one weak one) and they dismissed me entirely. It's so much more fun to go looking for someone to blame for autism and always a thrill to find a reason to bully fatties.

How many years do I have to live in eating disorder hell starving and denying myself things without being able to lose a pound before I can have permission to be a worthy human being.

Oh, Darl, I know how you feel and can sympathise!  I also have to deny myself every single day, due to Hashimoto's Thryoiditis.  If I eat more than a tiny, limited amount of 1000 to 1200 calories a day, I gain weight which takes me months to get back off again.  When you think that most people's daily maintenance requirements are from about 1800 to 2200, you can see how much I have to cut back.  Although the Hashimoto's is being treated now, I've had it for so long, the doctors think since I was 12, that my metabolism is set at permanent "cold".  Even in the Australian summer I have hands and feet that are freezing, and blue lips.  And I have to be super-vigilant not to get overheated on the odd occasions when I do, since I do not sweat like the rest of the herd, which means I cannot lose heat.  I waiver on a fine edge of hypothermia and heat-stroke, and trying to lose a few pounds is not matter or comfort or fashion, but survival.  All this while battling an immune system that also has Lupus is a nightmare.  I try to stay optimistic and am lucky that I have a basically sunny nature, but sometimes it is SO bloody depressing!
Alison

This post was last modified: 04-16-2012 05:16 AM by Alison.

A little addendum to my last: my husband is suffering from work-related depression at the moment, and is going to the doctor about it.  He has a tendency to catastrophise and things have been happening recently at his work which have made this worse.  We were talking about that and my various health problems, and he said that, when we're both old and grey, he'll be pushing me about in my wheelchair and I'll be wiping his tears!
Alison

This post was last modified: 04-16-2012 05:20 AM by Alison.

hmmmm, As they do not know the actual Cause of Autism. No Identifiable treatments, no effects.
They take a random group of people and say well, some of these have diabeties , some are over weight... ok that is a risk factor , so what about the other god knows how many that are like beanpoles and don't have the illness.

I am a size 4 :S my mother was a size 6 (english sizes)  oh hang on, does that mean being underweight is a risk factor too.... well ok, i was a size 8 when i got pregnant with my kids... I also happen to have what is refferred to as graves disease which is an auto immune disease that affects the metabolism... does that mean that is a risk  factor too.

The truth is, they don't know. They never know.... how about we put it to a random chance?? well the way I see it is that it doesn't matter what you look like, fat, thin, long, tall , short, green, purple, white, sky blue pink with purple spots. well they will always find a label to stick on you.. They are searching for answers and searching for blame where their is non. Random chance I say... It is not like chicken pox that you can clearly see. Until they find an Actual Cause and a Cause for the Cause well, we can not truly say. It is pointless summising and trying to give it more labels to confuse the matter.

OOOOoooooo I have just read the bit from Alison that says she has Hashimotos thyroiditus... which is the Auto immune disease opposite to what I have... While mine makes my body eat away at itself, Alisons stores everything ... And both of these are linked together. There is a chance that my Graves disease can automatically switch and turn into Hashimotos disease (disease sounds such a horrible word doesn't it :S ) They want to cut my thyroid out however I am a singer and I am sorry but I can control what I have now, i learned to live with it for years. I am not willing to take the chance on my Voice going :S singing has been a big part of my life for so long.  It is no fun living with these conditions.  However again, if one were to look on the page , one could summise that it also could be a relative factor in autism :S... however how wrong would we actually be :S. It is all just guesswork and random chance :s

May I ask why you are looking for permission to be a worthy human being?
You have an illness that is not your fault. You are constantly battling it every single day. You are starving yourself which in all probability is prob going to make it worse without you realising it.
You are putting up with crap lleft right and center by everybody who quite obviously can not see benieth skin level.

The good news for you is that there are people who can actually see you for the person you are. There are people that see your struggles, see your fights, and your triumphs over things. They see you cry, they see you laugh... but the one person who see's this the most, truly does not understand her worth.. (that be you by the way) .. Nobody is ever completely happy with how they look.  "society tells the country how they think we should look" So who tells society. aaah yep, the media, the shops, the tabloids and newspapers. all those gaining from other peoples misery :S ...

if somebody doesnt like you for who you are then are they really truly worthy to be around you. A wise person once said .." those that care don't matter, and those that matter don't care". It really is true you know. You are worthy, it is those that judge that are not!

my motto that I live by in life is

im rebelling against society,
the way they tell us we should dress,
look,
feel,
say
act,
we are all individuals! we will never please everybody, so why try!! be yourself , be free , be true!!
be happy!

This is a pure example of LACK of EMPATHY (probably lack of 100% NT empathy).  Some of these jerks are probably afraid of becoming fat and blowing up like balloons themselves and having no control over it,  (A disease ordrug to treat a disease could make that happen).  Some of these people may be on the spectrum but insecure of themselves and NT-wannabes.

All it might take is one stroke or an accident resulting in severe brain trauma for a perfectly good NT to become socially undesirable.  The brain's neural pathways can be come permanently changed resulting in a different personality.  I know of a case where a woman divorced her husband after he recovered from an automobile accident.  He was a "changed" person and didn't express love the way he used to (although I'm sure he was heartbroken she no longer loved him).  There was a woman who had a mild stroke and suddenly had a foreign accent (relative to native American English speakers).  There was a fit, twenty-something, athletic man who had a stroke when he was working out.  Once he recovered, he was gay.

I have to wonder whether or not anyone will admit how over dxd and wrongly dxd kids are these days.... - the new study out last week- used "autistic" as the title but lumped in intellecuatl/educational difficulties and kids with beahviroal issues in it's numbers./....

let us face it ... (in the US) People who are less able to afford good food, ahem - in the US - the poor - have disadvantaged children--- they do not eat well, (nor does the mom- poor diet does equal poor health,. obesity, and/or diabetes) - I do not think these kids of moms with diabetes--have more prevalance of actual autism - I do think that these kids can easily be labeled as intellectually disabled... or having behavioral issues ... now if these same kids get a dx from the schools they are in- (because they are not doing well in school and have behavior anomolies) the school then can have the kids "medicated"  so they can pretend they are doing something for the kid- when all they are doing is masking issues and not getting to the root of the problem which is - lack of proper adult supervision (mom probably works 3 jobs etc.,) kids has poor diet, sleep, bad education (with dx the school does not have to make sure they pass tests anymore)...

my family is not overweight... also.

This post was last modified: 04-16-2012 06:38 PM by windy.

I don't believe this study for a minute. If you examine the current state of affairs in the medical/scientific world, you'll see that it's trendy to pin all sorts of health problems on obesity and ignore every other possible cause.

Of course it's true. As any statistician will tell you, correlation definitely equals causation. [/sarcasm]