Child Autism: Acids in foods could be harmful to pregnant women

Could the food you eat while pregnant push your baby onto the autism spectrum? That is what researchers in Florida are working to confirm.

“My mother always said if it didn’t come from a mother,” Roy Snell said, “maybe it’s not the best thing for you.”

Snell’s 5-year-old daughter, Lakin, has autism. Snell said he is concerned about the chemicals and preservatives found in food these days. He believes it is among the causes that could lead to autism.

Researchers at the University of Central Florida said in a new report the acids found in processed foods may be to blame.

Jennifer Voltz, a speech and language pathologist who works with autistic children at her Fort Myers business FOCUS, said preservatives may be a problem.

“The different chemicals that we’re putting into these foods,” Voltz said, “definitely have side effects that we just don’t know yet.”

The researchers looked at propionic acid, which can be used as a preservative. The exposed stem cells in a lab to the acid and found that preservative hurts how those stem cells develop into healthy brain cells. It also increases the kind of cells that hurt the development of the brain.

“It made sense to me,” Voltz said. “I’d love to see if there’s future research.”

The researchers admit in their report, much more work needs to be done to make any solid connections between food while pregnant and autism. The next step is to test the preservative acid on mice to see if it leads to autism in actual brains.

But, Snell said he hopes it is a step in the right direction as the number of cases in America continues to climb.

“At the end of the day,” Snell said, “you just want what’s best for your child.”