Food, nutrition, and autism: from soil to fork, (2024). Maitin-Shepard M., O’Tierney-Ginn P., Kraneveld A., Lyal K., Fallin D.

Open access article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000291652400443X

Abstract
Food and nutrition-related factors have the potential to impact development of  autism
spectrum disorder  (ASD) and  quality of life  for people with ASD, but gaps in
evidence exist. On 10 November 2022, Tufts University’s Friedman School of
Nutrition Science and Policy and Food and Nutrition Innovation Institute hosted a 1-d
meeting to explore the evidence and evidence gaps regarding the relationships of food
and nutrition with ASD. This meeting report summarizes the presentations and
deliberations from the meeting. Topics addressed included prenatal and child dietary
intake, the  microbiome , obesity, food-related environmental exposures, mechanisms
and  biological processes  linking these factors and ASD, food-related social factors,
and data sources for future research. Presentations highlighted evidence for protective
associations with prenatal  folic acid  supplementation and ASD development,
increases in risk of ASD with maternal gestational obesity, and the potential for
exposure to environmental contaminants in foods and food packaging to influence
ASD development. The importance of the maternal and child  microbiome  in ASD
development or ASD-related behaviors in the child was reviewed, as was the role of
discrimination in leading to disparities in environmental exposures and  psychosocial
factors  that may influence ASD. The role of child diet and high prevalence of food
selectivity in children with ASD and its association with  adverse outcomes  were also
discussed. Priority evidence gaps identified by participants include further clarifying
ASD development, including biomarkers and key mechanisms; interactions among
psychosocial, social, and biological determinants; interventions addressing diet,
supplementation, and the microbiome to prevent and improve quality of life for
people with ASD; and mechanisms of action of diet-related factors associated with
ASD. Participants developed research proposals to address the priority evidence gaps.
The workshop findings serve as a foundation for future prioritization of scientific
research to address evidence gaps related to food, nutrition, and ASD.

Citation: Melissa Maitin-Shepard, Perrie O’Tierney-Ginn, Aletta D Kraneveld,
Kristen Lyall, Daniele Fallin, Manish Arora, Alessio Fasano, Noel T Mueller, Xiaobin
Wang, Laura E Caulfield, Aisha S Dickerson, Rochellys Diaz Heijtz, Tomo Tarui,
Jeffrey B Blumberg, Calliope Holingue, Rebecca J Schmidt, Johan Garssen,
Katherine Almendinger, Pi-I Debby Lin, Dariush Mozaffarian,
Food, nutrition, and autism: from soil to fork, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 120, Issue 1,
2024, Pages 240-256