Fetal and Infancy Growth Pattern, Cord and Early Childhood Plasma Leptin, and Development of Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Boston Birth Cohort.
Ramkripa Raghavan, Barry Zuckerman, Xiumei Hong and 7 others
PMID 30248249WHAT IT FOUND
Extremely rapid infancy weight gain and higher early childhood leptin were associated with later autism spectrum disorder diagnosis, while cord leptin and being small or large for gestational age were not.
Key findings
01Extremely rapid weight gain during infancy was associated with increased autism spectrum disorder risk (odds ratio 2.64; adjusted odds ratio 3.11), but the association weakened after adjusting for gestational age (adjusted odds ratio 2.08).
02Higher early childhood leptin levels were associated with increased autism spectrum disorder risk (odds ratio 5.41; adjusted odds ratio 7.87), and the association persisted after additional adjustments.
03Cord leptin levels and being small or large for gestational age were not associated with autism spectrum disorder risk.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The autism diagnoses came from electronic medical records, so some children could have been classified incorrectly. Only a small number of children developed autism spectrum disorder, so the estimates are imprecise. The study did not measure body fat at the time leptin was drawn, so other factors could explain part of the association. The sample was mainly urban low-income minority children, so the results may not apply to all populations. The association between extremely rapid weight gain and autism weakened after gestational age was included, so preterm birth may explain part of the finding.
Declared interests
The authors reported no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read extremely rapid weight gain or high early childhood leptin as a cause of autism spectrum disorder or as a screening tool. The study found associations only, and the weight gain association weakened after adjusting for gestational age.