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Processing Risk

Processing Risk

Could eating processed foods while pregnant increase the likelihood of childhood autism? Recent findings by 91吃瓜网 researchers suggest yes.

Fall 2019 | By Nicole Dudenhoefer 鈥�17

Autism diagnoses have risen 15聽percent in the past six years, with 1聽in 59 U.S. children now being diagnosed聽with the developmental disorder. As a聽result, scientists are working diligently聽to understand the overlapping genetic聽and environmental factors that cause聽it. And a group of researchers at 91吃瓜网聽may have found a link: processed foods.

Children with autism often聽experience gastrointestinal issues,聽which led 91吃瓜网 Professor Saleh Naser to聽wonder if there鈥檚 a link between the gut聽and brain, and how gut bacteria differ聽for those who have autism. In , Naser聽and his team, including postdoctoral聽scholar Latifa Abdelli 鈥�14MS 鈥�15PhD聽and undergraduate research assistant聽Aseela Samsam, discovered that a food聽preservative known as propionic acid聽(PPA) can alter how a fetus鈥檚 brain聽develops during pregnancy, leading聽to autism.

鈥淚t鈥檚 my hope that our study will聽motivate other scientists to look into聽the role of PPA in the development of聽autism with the goal of eliminating the聽condition as we know it,鈥� says Naser,聽who has 25 years of experience studying聽gastroenterology.

Here鈥檚 how it happens:

PPA is a naturally occurring acid released聽in our digestive tract as food ferments.聽It鈥檚 also produced chemically as a food聽preservative for bread and to flavor聽products such as processed cheese.

If a pregnant woman consumes a聽significant amount of processed聽foods, PPA levels can spike.

In excess, PPA impacts a fetus鈥� brain聽by reducing the development of聽neurons 鈥� cells that tell other body聽cells how to function. This can also聽damage neurons鈥� communication聽pathways throughout the body.

High amounts of PPA also cause an聽overproduction of glial cells. These cells聽protect neuron function, but too many聽cells disrupt the connection between聽neurons and causes inflammation in the聽brain and the rest of the body.

Typically there is a one-to-one ratio of neurons to glial聽cells, but in Naser鈥檚 study high levels of PPA threw off聽this balance with a one-to-four ratio. This smaller number聽of neurons also exhibited abnormal qualities in the study.聽Together, these issues result in behaviors associated聽with autism, such as difficulty communicating in social聽settings and repetitive behaviors such as rocking.

What is Autism?
Autism is a disorder covering a wide range of conditions that include聽challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, and speech and nonverbal聽communication. Other sensory sensitivities and medical issues, such as聽seizures and gastrointestinal disorders, often accompany the condition.聽Since autism affects people differently, some people diagnosed with it live聽independently while others may need varying levels of daily support.

Which Foods Contain PPA?
Store-bought breads,聽baked goods, processed聽cheese, dried fruits and聽juices often contain聽some form of PPA as聽a preservative.

Check labels for these ingredients:

  • Sodium propionate/propanoate
  • Calcium propionate/propanoate
  • Methyl propionate/propanoate