logo
Study strengthens link between maternal diabetes and autism

Study strengthens link between maternal diabetes and autism

Reuters07-04-2025

Summary
Diabetes during pregnancy linked to higher neurodevelopmental disorder risk in children
Gestational diabetes poses lower risk than pre-existing diabetes
Diabetes affects up to 9% of U.S. pregnancies, CDC reports
April 7 (Reuters) - A large new study adds to evidence that diabetes during pregnancy is linked with an increased risk of brain and nervous system problems in children, including autism, researchers say.
Whether diabetes actually causes those problems remains unclear. But when mothers have diabetes while pregnant, children are 28% more likely to be diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder, according to an analysis of data pooled from 202 earlier studies involving more than 56 million mother-child pairs.
Keep up with the latest medical breakthroughs and healthcare trends with the Reuters Health Rounds newsletter. Sign up here.
The risks for children of mothers with diabetes during pregnancy were 25% higher for autism, 30% higher for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and 32% higher for intellectual disability. They were also 20% higher for trouble with communication, 17% higher for movement problems and 16% higher for learning disorders than in children whose mothers did not have diabetes while pregnant.
Diabetes diagnosed before pregnancy appeared to confer a 39% higher risk for one or more of these neurodevelopmental disorders compared with gestational diabetes that begins in pregnancy and often resolves afterward, the researchers reported in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, opens new tab.
Diabetes affects up to 9% of pregnancies in the United States, with the incidence rising, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Seven of the earlier studies compared affected children with siblings. These analyses did not find an effect from mothers' diabetes, which suggests that shared genetic or familial factors might be contributing to the increased risk, the authors noted.
The findings emphasize the importance of medical support for women at risk of developing diabetes and the continuous monitoring of their children, the researchers said.
The association of maternal diabetes with autism in offspring is well known, said Dr. Magdalena Janecka of NYU Grossman School of Medicine, who studies links between in utero exposures and child development but was not involved in the new research.
A large 'meta-analysis' like this one allows for analyses of subgroups, such as mothers with pre-existing vs gestational diabetes, or children with autism vs those with ADHD or movement disorders, but it cannot prove cause and effect, Janecka said.
'Meta-analyses allow us to compare groups more precisely. At the same time, they are not bringing us any closer to understanding the causes or the underlying mechanisms.'
The study comes as Trump administration health officials have called for further research into whether vaccines are a cause of autism, a claim long championed by new Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that has been debunked by established science.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Drug pricing reform talks with US government lack clarity, industry executives say
Drug pricing reform talks with US government lack clarity, industry executives say

Reuters

time38 minutes ago

  • Reuters

Drug pricing reform talks with US government lack clarity, industry executives say

June 10 (Reuters) - Talks with the Trump administration about lowering U.S. drug prices have so far not provided clarity on when and how reduced prices will be implemented, top executives from Eli Lilly (LLY.N), opens new tab and Merck (MRK.N), opens new tab said at an industry conference on Tuesday. President Donald Trump issued an executive order last month directing drugmakers to lower the prices of their medicines to align with what other countries pay. According to the order, the administration was to set "most favored nation" price targets within 30 days. The Department of Health and Human Services has said it expects drugmakers in the U.S. to set prices for their products at the lowest price paid by other high-income countries. Lilly's chief financial officer, Lucas Montarce, said that it was not clear when a resolution on the pricing reform would be achieved. "It's hard to make any assumption about when, but they haven't shared with us any details at this time," said Montarce at the Goldman Sachs' Healthcare Conference. On Monday, Pfizer's (PFE.N), opens new tab chief executive Albert Bourla had said that the meetings with the Trump administration were focused on high-level ideas and not "digging into the substance." "Conversations are ongoing. No clarity yet on where it's going to go," said Merck's CEO Robert Davis. Davis added that Merck has discussed how to share the cost of drug innovation, both in the United States and other countries, with the administration. "But how does that all translate into an actionable plan in the near term? There's still a lot of dialog happening, so that's not as clear," he said. Lilly and Merck executives said that any pricing reforms would require regulatory changes or government-to-government actions. AbbVie's (ABBV.N), opens new tab CEO also said that there was a "long way to go" before an agreement would be reached on the pricing reform.

Health snacks loved by young people shockingly linked to risk of sudden strokes, heart attacks
Health snacks loved by young people shockingly linked to risk of sudden strokes, heart attacks

Daily Mail​

time2 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

Health snacks loved by young people shockingly linked to risk of sudden strokes, heart attacks

A popular sweetener used in protein bars and sugar-free energy drinks could raise your risk of suffering from a stroke, a study suggests. Researchers at the University of Colorado, Boulder, exposed human cells found in the brain to erythritol in amounts they claimed mirrored a diet soda. The cells showed worrying changes within hours, including a decrease in the amount of clot-busting proteins they released, which is key for preventing strokes. Auburn Berry, a graduate student who led the research, said: 'While erythritol is widely used in sugar-free products marketed as healthier alternatives, more research is needed to fully understand its impact on vascular health. 'In general, people should be conscious of the amount of erythritol they are consuming on a daily basis.' It comes amid a mystery rise in strokes in young people, which have surged almost 15 percent among under-45s since 2011 — according to CDC data. Erythritol is a wildly popular sweetener, used in drinks including Vitaminwater Zero sugar, Monster Zero and Arizona Iced Tea, and in Quest protein bars. It is also found in the sweetener truvia, which is often added to coffee as a sugar replacement. Although the new study was small and used isolated cells, it adds to the growing body of evidence raising concern about the sweetener. A 2023 Cleveland Clinic study tracked 4,000 people found those who consume erythritol were more likely to suffer a heart attack, stroke or early death. The new study was published in the Journal of Applied Physiology. Researchers isolated human cerebral microvascular endothelial cells — cells that line blood vessels in the brain. After exposing them to erythritol for three hours in a lab, the researchers identified several damaging changes. These included the cells producing 75 percent more compounds that can damage them and surrounding tissue. And they also produced about 20 percent less of a compound used to help blood vessels relax, allowing more blood to flow through and minimizing the risk of a clot. Researchers also noted that erythritol decreased the production of a clot-busting protein called t-PA, which can dissolve clots and help prevent strokes. In their conclusion, they said the sweetener 'potentially contributes to [an] increased risk of ischemic stroke'. An ischemic stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel in the brain, preventing blood and oxygen from reaching brain tissue. This can cause brain cells to die within minutes. Limitations of the study include that it was carried out in a lab outside the human body, which may not mirror internal conditions. For example, it was not clear how much of the sweetener is typically absorbed by these cells in people. The study also exposed the cells to the equivalent of 30 grams of erythritol. The researchers claimed this was 'equivalent to the typical amount... in an artificially sweetened beverage.' But the stated amount of sweetener in the beverages typically falls below this threshold. For example, Monster Energy Zero contains about two grams of erythritol — according to consumer website Open Food Facts. Meanwhile Vitaminwater says less than one percent of its 500 milliliter (ml) bottles contain erythritol, or less than five grams. Quest protein bars also contain up to five grams of erythritol each, according to the company's website. Erythritol is about 70 percent as sweet as sugar but contains six percent of the calories. It can be found in small amounts naturally in some foods, but in diet sodas is often made from processing corn. It also isn't easily processed by the body, meaning it is often passed out through urine. Some may, however, be stored in the body — where its effects can build-up overtime. It was approved by the FDA as safe for foods in 2001 The study comes amid a concerning rise in strokes among young Americans, with previous work blaming this on increased stress, a more sedentary lifestyle and higher drug use than past generations. Obesity, high cholesterol and diabetes also play a role — all three are more prevalent in young people today than historically. In previous research from last year, scientists also found that when people are given the sweetener erythritol, cells in their blood that cause clotting become more active. Specifically, they found the sweetener caused platelets in the blood to become activated and stick together, forming clots.

RFK Jr's ‘clean sweep' of CDC vaccine panel experts will erode public trust
RFK Jr's ‘clean sweep' of CDC vaccine panel experts will erode public trust

The Guardian

time3 hours ago

  • The Guardian

RFK Jr's ‘clean sweep' of CDC vaccine panel experts will erode public trust

Health secretary Robert F Kennedy's 'clean sweep' of a critical vaccine advisory panel spread shock and dismay among health experts, as many warned Kennedy's decision would erode trust in the US vaccine approval system. The secretary fired all 17 members of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) advisory committee for immunization practices (ACIP) – a group of scientific experts who recommend how vaccines should be administered and distributed. 'Some would try to explain this away by blaming misinformation or antiscience attitudes,' Kennedy wrote in an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal, announcing the change, on Monday. 'To do so, however, ignores a history of conflicts of interest, persecution of dissidents, a lack of curiosity, and skewed science that has plagued the vaccine regulatory apparatus for decades.' The immediate concern for public health officials, scientists and vaccine researchers was both the erosion in trust and who will fill the newly opened seats. Candidates for the voluntary roles often go through months of vetting, but it appears the new candidates may have already been chosen. A press release from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which Kennedy leads, said ACIP's upcoming June meeting would go forward as planned. Dr Tom Frieden, President and CEO of the public health nonprofit Resolve to Save Lives and former CDC Director, said in a statement on X that Kennedy's decision to remove the 'seventeen dedicated doctors, pediatricians, scientists, and parents who served on [ACIP]' is 'a dangerous and unprecedented action that makes our families less safe'. 'ACIP has long been a model for the world of transparent, fact-based guidance with rigorous reviews of vaccine safety and effectiveness,' Frieden said. 'Make no mistake: Politicizing the ACIP as Secretary Kennedy is doing will undermine public trust under the guise of improving it.' Frieden's comments were echoed by scientists, doctors and public health leaders, many of whom questioned Kennedy's own conflicts of interest. Before becoming secretary, Kennedy led arguably the world's most influential anti-vaccine advocacy group and was paid by personal injury law firms for referring alleged victims of vaccine injuries. 'Removing all the members of the ACIP and replacing them with new members is far more likely to destroy public confidence in the federal government's approach to vaccines than to restore trust,' said Public Citizen health research group director Dr Robert Steinbrook in a statement. 'It shouldn't matter which administration appointed the members of a federal scientific advisory committee. The wholesale firing and replacement of ACIP members is a blatantly political act that will undermine scientific impartiality and integrity, not promote it.' The CDC usually, though not always, takes ACIP's recommendations. A complementary panel advises the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on whether to approve vaccines, called the vaccine and related biologic products advisory committee (VRBPAC). Those recommendations, which are approved by the head of the CDC, translate into official recommendations in the childhood and adult vaccine schedules. Those schedules are then used by insurers to decide which vaccines their plans should cover – making them a critically important document for Americans' access to immunizations. Still, the CDC is without a leader, and Kennedy has not signed off on the most recent recommendations from ACIP, according to reporting from STAT. The decision to fire the entire ACIP committee comes after Kennedy attempted to make an end-run around them for a separate announcement: that Covid-19 vaccines would no longer be recommended for healthy children and pregnant women. Ultimately, the recommendation for healthy children to receive the vaccine was preserved by the CDC, which added a new note that decisions about the Covid-19 vaccine should be made in 'shared decision making' with a healthcare professional. But Kennedy's initial announcement, which hit social media with few details, similarly shocked doctors. It also came only days after the leaders of the leaders of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and FDA declared pregnancy an 'underlying medical conditions that can increase a person's risk of severe Covid-19'. Kennedy oversees both agencies in his role as health secretary. Doctors worried Kennedy's decision would bring 'devastating consequences' for pregnant women, who are known to be more susceptible to severe complications from Covid-19 infection. Leading vaccine experts have planned for Kennedy to cause upheaval to vaccine policy: in April, the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota launched the Vaccine Integrity Project. Kennedy's move did please one group: his anti-vaccine supporters. 'This represents an extremely positive development,' said Nicolas Hulscher, administrator for the McCullough Foundation, a nonprofit affiliated with Peter McCullough, a well known anti-vaccine campaigner. 'We hope ACIP will be repopulated with truly independent experts who prioritize public safety over Vaccine Ideology.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store