The Association Between Autism Spectrum Disorders and Dietary Intake of Carbohydrates in School-Aged Children in Iran: A Case–Control Study

Abstract

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with both genetic and environmental risk factors. Imbalanced dietary Intake has recently been proposed as a possible environmental risk factor for ASD. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible connection between ASD and intake of various carbohydrate types. Methods: 110 patients with autism from 5 to 15 years of age have been included as the case group and 110 neurotypical children who are part of a similar age category have been chosen as controls for this case–control study. To estimate the dietary intake of carbohydrates, a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used. Results: Positive connections were found between ASD and the intake of sugar (OR = 1.03, CI 95%: 1.02–1.06, p = 0.001), and maltose (OR = 2.09, CI 95%: 1.37–3.20, p = 0.001). A reverse correlation was found between ASD and dietary intake of carbohydrates (OR = 0.97, CI 95%: 0.96–0.98, p = 0.001), fructose (OR = 0.85, CI 95%: 0.77–0.94, p = 0.002), and lactose (OR = 0.89, CI 95%: 0.83–0.96, p = 0.002). Conclusion: This study showed a direct link between autism and the intake of sugar and maltose and an inverse connection between autism and the dietary intake of total carbohydrate, fructose, and lactose. There is a need to carry out additional long-term studies.