Obesity-Autism Correlation

Did you know that studies at the University of California Davis MIND (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) Institute have uncovered a possible correlation between obesity during pregnancy and offspring with an autism spectrum disorder? Researchers found that obese women were 67 percent more likely to have a child with autism and twice as likely to have a child with another developmental disorder (as compared with healthy-weight mothers). Is it the obesity itself, or the food that contributed to the obesity, or obesity-linked inflammation, or other obesity-related conditions during pregnancy? That will require more research. It does add another reason for women to maintain optimal weight—especially during pregnancy.