Hardiness with Dr Paul Taylor Wisdom Wednesdays: The role of diet in Autism Spectrum Disorder incidence and severity
Dec 16, 2025
Explore how diet significantly impacts Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Discover an Australian review linking prenatal folic acid to a 30% lower autism risk. Learn about a Taiwanese study where specific nutrients improved social behaviors in mice. Understand why ultra-processed foods may worsen ASD symptoms and how folate metabolism plays a crucial role. Gain practical tips for optimizing diets during pregnancy and childhood, emphasizing micronutrient sufficiency and minimizing processed foods for better health outcomes.
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Prenatal Multivitamins Linked To Lower ASD Risk
- An umbrella review of 100+ studies across 3 million mother-child pairs links prenatal multivitamin or folic acid use to ~30% lower autism risk.
- Biological plausibility includes folate's role in neural development and genetic variants that alter folate metabolism.
Genetic Variants Affect Folic Acid Safety
- Genetic variants can slow folic acid metabolism and cause unmetabolized folic acid buildup that may harm pregnancy outcomes.
- Methylated folate (5-methylfolate) bypasses that bottleneck and may be preferable for those variants.
Mouse Study: Nutrient Blend Improved ASD Behaviors
- A Taiwanese mouse study gave ASD-model mice a blend of zinc, L-serine and branched-chain amino acids and observed behavioral improvements.
- Improvements appeared only when nutrients were combined and were seen both short-term and with juvenile-to-adult supplementation.