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Maternal excessive gestational weight gain as a risk factor for autism spectrum disorder in offspring: a systematic

Sorayya Kheirouri1, Mohammad Alizadeh2

  • 1Department of Nutrition, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Attar Nishabouri St., POBOX: 14711, Tabriz, IR, Postal code: 5166614711, Iran. kheirouris@tbzmed.ac.ir.

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
|October 23, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) in mothers may increase the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children. Insufficient GWG, however, does not appear to be associated with increased ASD risk.

Area of Science:

  • Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • Pediatric Research

Background:

  • Abnormal gestational weight gain (GWG) is a known prenatal complication.
  • GWG may influence long-term behavioral and neurodevelopmental outcomes in offspring.
  • Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a significant neurodevelopmental condition.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically review existing research on the association between maternal GWG and the risk of ASD in offspring.
  • To determine if excessive or insufficient GWG impacts ASD risk.
  • To explore confounding factors such as maternal pre-pregnancy BMI.

Main Methods:

  • A comprehensive search of electronic databases including PubMed, SCOPUS, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar was conducted.
  • Original human studies published in English up to June 2020 were included.
  • Data were critically analyzed from eight selected studies.

Main Results:

  • Seven studies indicated that excessive GWG was independently associated with an increased risk of ASD.
  • Four of five studies found no association between inadequate GWG and increased ASD risk.
  • Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI was not found to be independently associated with ASD risk in most studies.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal excessive GWG is potentially linked to a higher risk of ASD in offspring.
  • Insufficient GWG does not appear to be associated with an increased risk of ASD.
  • The GWG-ASD association is independent of maternal BMI and child's intellectual disability, though genetic factors require further investigation.
Abstract

Keywords:
Autism spectrum disorderBody mass indexGenetic susceptibilityGestational weight gainIntellectual disability

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