Women with an intolerance to common chemicals are two to three times more likely to give birth to a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism spectrum disorder, according to research published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.
As part of the study, researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio looked at 282 mothers whose children had ASD, 258 mothers of youngsters with ADHD, and 154 mothers whose children had no developmental disorders and acted as the control group.
According to their findings, chemically intolerant mothers were three times more likely to report having a child with ASD and 2.3 times more likely to have a child with ADHD. The research did not evaluate fathers and was based on replies to the QEESI (Quick Environmental Exposure and Sensitivity Inventory) survey, which is used clinically to diagnose chemical intolerance.
Furthermore, according to Dr. Lynne P. Heilbrun, autism research coordinator at the UTHSCSA Department of Family and Community Medicine, the children of these women were found to be “significantly more sensitive” to environmental exposures such as smoke, cleaners and gas, than their peers, and were also more sensitive to infections, allergens, and chemical irritants.
Disorders also linked to chemical intolerance, allergies, food cravings
The researchers reported that mothers who had a child with ASD or ADHD reported that their children were more likely to experience illness or symptoms linked to chemical intolerance than control mothers, and that ADHD children were 1.7 times more likely and ASD children were 4.9 times more likely to have multiple infections requiring prolonged antibiotic use.
Dr. Heilbrun and her co-authors also found that ADHD children were twice as likely and ASD kids were 1.6 times more likely than control children to have allergies, and that ADHD children were two times more likely and ASD youngsters were 3.5 times more likely than control kids to experience nausea, headaches, dizziness or difficulty breathing due to exposure to smoke, nail polish remover, engine exhaust, gasoline, air fresheners or cleaning agents.
Furthermore, children with ADHD were twice as likely as controls, and ASD were 4.8 times more likely, to have strong food preferences or cravings for chips, cheese, bread, pasta, sugar, salt, rice, and chocolate, the UTHSCSA researchers and colleagues at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Baylor College of Medicine explained in the new study.
“The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology issued a consensus statement in 2013 saying that there is sufficient evidence linking toxic exposures to adverse birth and developmental outcomes, calling for physicians to inform women to avoid specific environmental exposures even before conception,” Dr. Heilbrun said in a statement.
“Studies that linked tobacco and alcohol to neurological disorders were available for decades before recommendations to avoid these became a major public health initiative,” she added. “Physicians have the opportunity right now to become proactive in helping mothers protect their children from neurological disorders plaguing US families.”
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