Prenatal exposure to pesticide residues in the diet in association with child autism-related traits: Results from the EARLI study.
Emily E Joyce, Jorge E Chavarro, Juliette Rando and 8 others
PMID 35261202WHAT IT FOUND
Prenatal dietary pesticide exposure showed no link to increased autism-related traits in children.
Higher vegetable intake was associated with lower trait scores, though this finding was not significant. These results do not support avoiding produce due to pesticide concerns.
Key findings
01Intake of high and low pesticide residue fruits and vegetables was not associated with changes in autism-related trait scores.
02Vegetable intake and combined fruit and vegetable intake were associated with decreases in autism-related trait scores, but these results did not reach statistical significance.
03Pesticide residue scores were not associated with cognitive development scores.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample size was small (154 participants), which limited the ability to detect differences and resulted in wide confidence intervals. The study relied on self-reported dietary data, which may not accurately reflect actual pesticide exposure. The cohort consisted only of families with a previous child diagnosed with autism, so results may not generalize to the general population. The study could not account for pesticide exposure from food sources other than fruits and vegetables.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflict of interest. Funding was provided by Autism Speaks, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the non-significant decrease in autism-related traits associated with vegetable intake as a proven protective effect. The primary outcome for pesticide exposure was null, and the vegetable finding did not reach statistical significance.