Browsing by Author "Ahlgren, Isa"

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that can cause significant challenges in communication, interactions and behavior. The etiology of ASD is not fully understood yet, but it is acknowledged that both genetic and environmental factors play a role. Prenatal exposure to folate, vitamin D and iron are involved in human neurodevelopment and an increasing amount of evidence also suggests that these factors might have a role in the development of ASD. The aim of this systematic review is to summarize the existing literature on the association between prenatal folate, vitamin D, and iron levels, and the risk of offspring ASD. A systematic search was done using PubMed in December 2023, identifying 286 studies. Of these, ten met the inclusion criteria and were included in this review; 1 on the association between iron and ASD, 2 on the association between folate and ASD and 7 on the association between vitamin D and ASD. Overall, higher maternal hemoglobin and vitamin D levels during pregnancy were associated with decreased ASD risk in the offspring. No association between maternal folate levels during pregnancy and ASD risk in the offspring was found. Further studies with larger sample sizes and multiple exposure measurements during pregnancy are needed to confirm these findings.