A new study has found women who didn’t take prenatal vitamins before conceiving or in the first month of pregnancy were twice as likely to have an autistic child.
The study focused on 700 families with two- to five-year-old children with autism – the mums were asked via phone if and when they took prenatal vitamins.
Researchers found that when compared to a control group, mums who took the vitamins either before falling pregnant or during the first month of pregnancy were half as likely to have an autistic child as those who were not.
For mums who began the vitamins in the second month of pregnancy, there was no difference, suggesting that by the time a woman is aware she’s pregnant, the vitamins have no effect in preventing autism.
"The good news is that if this finding is replicated it will provide an inexpensive, relatively simple evidence-based action that women can take to reduce risks for their child, which is to take prenatal vitamins as early as possible … and even when planning for a pregnancy," says the study’s author, epidemiologist Irva Hertz-Picciotto.
Picciotto adds that as the study was based on women remembering whether or not they’d taken a vitamin in the past, it would be useful to replicate the study.
What do you think? Did you take prenatal vitamins before you knew you were pregnant?
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35 Comments
Don't vitamin bottle say that they are only useful if your diet is lacking? And besides if your diet really is lacking an injection of the vitamin works much better. Take them if it makes you feel better, but seriously, if you eat a proper diet and don't drink/smoke etc, you've done your very best. I think people are looking for ways to find a non-scientific cure/cause to Autism.
ReplyThis study does not surprise me. There is so much toxic food on the market in Australia that is mot allowed in other countries. Food should be our medicine not just to look good and give you a buzz for a while. I did my own little study, asking people what health issues they had and then asking what they ate. Every time I came to someone that was eating their own home grown vegetables their health was considerably better than other people. The truth is right in front of us. Please watch the media for within this week there will no doubt be a big campagne on a particular brand of vitamins. etc. Let's not just look at a quick fix but also a permanent one that will really help. Not just make someone else rich.
ReplyAutism...I have one. Im considered young fit and healthy when i had my son.I was only 24-turning 25. I don't smoke or drink so as my husband, I ate well and trying to get supplements for the baby naturally , yet still dn't make any different. SO...WHAT SO SPECIAL WITH THIS NEW PRODUCT CALLED PRE-NATAL VITAMINS.How different does it make to what Ive done? I guess every parents,..try everything to ensure unborn/expected baby, but sometimes, ...even taking vitamins/medication can be risky.
ReplyPerhaps a little less spent of the nursary preparations and more spent on good healthy foods during pregnancy would make more sense. Unfortunately that will never happen so a few vitamins will help somewhere along the line I am sure. However I would have to agree with Clive and Cassandra. I do hope the research goes further but who is paying for this as I don't believe the drug companies will ever want too much enquiring done on immunisation.
Replyi had four healthy children and not one vitamin
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