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Daily early-life exposures to diet soda and aspartame are associated with autism in males: A case-control study
Aspartame, the primary sweetener in diet sodas (DS), has been linked by some users to neurological issues. Prospective studies showed that children of moms who regularly drank diet sodas or beverages (DSB) when pregnant had more health issues as adults. In this study by Fowler et al. (2023), the authors postulated that exposure to aspartame at levels equivalent to or greater than 1 DS/day (DSearly) or ≥177 mg/day of aspartame (ASPearly) during pregnancy and the first few years of life enhances the risk of autism. In the case-control Autism Tooth Fairy Study, mothers of 121 children who were growing normally and 235 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD: cases) provided retrospective food recalls for DSB and aspartame intake during pregnancy/breastfeeding. The exposure odds ratios (ORs) for autism, ASD, and non-regressive conditions were calculated for DSearly and ASPearly. Analysis of the results revealed that the DSearly odds for autism and non-regressive autism were quadrupled in men and that the ASPearly odds were significantly greater. Males had roughly double the odds of suffering from non-regressive ASD, although these odds were not statistically significant. Females showed no statistically significant relationships. The authors comment that their research adds to the expanding body of literature that expresses worry about possible damage to the unborn child from maternal DSB/aspartame use during pregnancy. [NPID: Autism, autism spectrum disorder, pregnancy, diet, diet soda, diet beverages, aspartame, artificial sweeteners, high intensity sweeteners]
Year: 2023
