Just as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has called for an investigation into debunked claims of vaccines causing autism, a massive new study bolsters a body of evidence behind an entirely different link to the neurodevelopmental disorder: gestational diabetes.
The study, out of China and published in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal, is the latest to show a connection between diabetes during pregnancy, which affects up to 9% of U.S. pregnancies, and an increased risk not only of autism, but also other brain and nervous system problems.
Past research has also found a higher diabetes prevalence in people with autism, and also that people with autism may have a higher risk of developing diabetes. And a 2022 meta-analysis out of the U.K. found evidence of a statistically significant association between [Autism spectrum disorder] and diabetes.
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Researchers behind the latest analysis said that more research is needed, and called for “diligent monitoring” of blood sugar levels throughout pregnancy.
