I agree. At this moment, we just don't know. While it makes sense in a manner, correlation does not mean causation, just like in the vaccine argument. I'd like to see more studies before this is plastered all over the news as the new "cause".

The news media really needs to stop latching onto these early stage studies. It's doing nothing but scaring people.

I do not think that they have anywhere near enough to say that there is a causal relationship here. There are may other factors that cause people to be obese that could also be affecting fetal development. I do not see where they can say with any certainty that it is the obesity that is causing the increased rate of autism. I also think that they have broadened the scope of what constitutes being autistic to an absurd point. Yes, there are autistic kids, but many of the kids that are being labeled as on the autistic spectrum today have nothing really wrong with them. They are taking minor differences in personality like a kid who is a little on the shy side and saying that the kid is autistic. There seems to be this increasing trend in our society to try and label everyone and everything. The truth is that there are variations in people's personalities that are perfectly normal and natural and do not connote some type of mental disease or deficiency. Autism is just the new ADD/ADHD, where any kid who was a little bit more active was labeled as having a problem. We need to put a stop to this push to try and label anyone who is a little different. We are doing immense psychological harm to perfectly healthy, normal kids with this push towards labeling.

Also, the author of this article needs to check their definition of obesity. A person with a BMI over 25 is not considered obese, they are considered overweight. It is a BMI over 30 that currently is used to indicate obesity. Also, there have been several recent articles and studies that refute the use of BMI to determine what is a healthy weight. BMI is too rudimentary and ignores factors like body type. Many people who by the BMI standard are overweight or even obese have been shown to have perfectly healthy body fat levels. The only true way to determine if a person's weight is healthy is by looking at body fat as a percent of weight, not by a simplistic ratio of weight versus height squared.

Nowhere in this study did they even remotely try to establish a causation relationship between obesity and autism. It's simply a study that found being obese increases the risk that you will have an autistic child. Lets face it. Being obese increases the risk for just about every disease they've done studies for. Here is a link to the actual study.

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2012/03/28/peds.2011-1601

I do solemnly swear I will not pretend to be a scientist.

Having said that, there's always suspicions. My personal one is that the amount of invitro and fertility medication out there is overprescribed and ludicrously high. Its also an easy market....families who want to have their own children. This certainly isn't their fault, and I doubt the medications will ever go away, but I think that not all has been told about the risks involved.

Oh, by the way, the people who are studying to 'find the cause of autism' are funded by the same companies who sell you drugs. Again, its a heavy suspicion and if it has to do with obesity or some other cause, fine. But can't help but think about fertility medications which are so saturated into American health care right now, and who's rise seems to parallel autism.

Interesting article. Obese is a BMI of 30-39. Extreme (morbid) obesity is 43+. They made a typo by stating it's over 25 but that does not invalidate the study as some suggest. Obviously there are other factors at play here but there is a correlation and I think people would be silly to ignore it simply because they want to justify being obese.

There are a lot of people here asserting the BMI scale is worthless. It's not. When we judge someone with our eyes to be obese we are subject to many subjective factors. The BMI is an attempt to be objective. Body fat percentage is a better measure of obesity but the BMI is still useful 95% of the time. Unless you are a body builder it's actually very accurate plus or minus 3 points. If you have a BMI of 27 you might not be overweight. If you have a BMI of 29 you are definitely overweight. Having a BMI greater than 30 is not healthy for you. Justify it all you want but it's true.

Relating to autism. This study shows a strong correlation. Those that want to blame vaccines have no evidence what-so-ever. The ONE study that linked them has been refuted several times but later studies and their methods are suspect. Those that say they witnessed a change after vaccination should know it's probably just coincidence. Children's brains develop rapidly in the early stages. We don't know if autism is caused by a developmental disorder or a genetic disorder or both.

I also agree that autism is poorly defined and over diagnosed. I think this explains most, if not all, of the rise we have seen in autism. 15 years ago autistic children were severely disabled. Today, I have two children in my extended family that seem perfectly normal (yet they are labeled autistic.) It seems that ANY deviation from what is considered a "normal" personality is now part of autism.

ok,,,,just another route for your federal govenment to avoid the real truth,,,,,I'm going to lay it out to you guy's plain and simple......17 years ago a beautiful baby boy was born to my wife and myself.....At two years of age,,,(PERFECTLY NORMAL AND SPEAKING LITTLE SENTENCES) ,, We had to do the MMR shot....Ok,,ok ! yea you're sayin here's another idiot spelling out BS about the shots.....Ok, here's your facts....Our neighbor who had a child 2 weeks after my child was born about the same age....(perfectly normal) same situation,,,,,,! Talking etc.....!! My wife and her decided to go to the same physician office (SAME DAY) ,,,,same clinic received the MMR shot to both children......3 weeks later BAAMMMMM !!!! speech disappeared and started staring at walls.....(BOTH CHILDREN) !! present day condition, both boys are Autistic and cannot communicate....! My son is self injurious to boot ! So take all your Obese thoughts and throw them out the window !!! I'm a witness to not one but two children with the MMR shot coming back Autisitc,,,,,,!!! Just sayin that this is another way of the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT shutting up more critics of the MMR shot....>Go ahead ,,,take the risk get your baby the shot !! Oh and another thing,,,,my wife was 28 and 5' tall and around 135lbs.....!! REAL obese huh ?

Sorry, I provided the wrong link.

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2012/04/04/peds.2011-2583.abstract?sid=b6afd5c3-fdec-4868-8c86-8bd1ed6050f7

Well they don't know what causes it hence the word "may" something is causing an increase in these problems and it is probably not one factor. Obesity may be one of them, I have always been underweight or average, without diabetes and my son has autism without a doubt, Derek also may be on to something for some people though I never took fertility drugs it may be true that, that could trigger something in some people. I don't think they should stop researching but they need to spend more on researching treatments rather than causes. The most important thing is to treat all of the kids with autism so that as many as humanly possible can become independent as adults.

Derek, I think there may also be a medication component. However, I wouldn't point to interfering with natural ovulation. I point to interfering with natural child birth. There are WAY too many inductions and C-Sections performed in this country. Far to many epidurals as well.

I say this as a male knowing I will never have to go through child-birth. I believe that if a woman chooses to have a baby she should expect significant pain. Choosing to have a child is a weighty decision and this is part of it. I believe in a woman's right to choose here. I just think they should at least try the natural method before jumping to intervention.

JD- I agree 100%. I've been on the receiving end of being needlessly worried because I have a shy child, sensitive child who has other neurological disorders. My son has a migraine disorder that causes him to have low tone and some sensory integration issues. He does not have autism, but many OT and PT therapists have tried to suggest he might be high finctioning or aspergers because he's shy and quiet around those he doesn't know well. So for the first 3-4 sessions he doesn't talk much, talks quietly, won't make eye contact etc. Once he warms up to the therapist, he's fine. He's a normal, well behaved 4 year old little boy.

Given that both his parents tend toward being quiet, introverted homebodies, this should not be surprising.

People need to remember that what is considered "average" or "typical" is a broad spectrum of personalities and behaviors. IMO it is not a disorder unless it affects their ability to function.

It's okay not to be the outgoing, extroverted popular kid.

Areyoubuyingthis- they stopped using Thimerisol in 2001. No need to sue, no decline in new autism diagnosis. You should read more current publications.

Steve,

My sympathies. But I have to ask. What else do these two woman have in common? What else do the children have in common. You can't place blame on simply one factor that very likely is pure coincidence. If autism is caused by Vaccines then why don't we see the same rates of autism in every country that uses the same vaccines that we do? Furthermore, this study doesn't say that obesity causes autism. It only says that being obese correlates to a greater risk for autism.

Steve, My wife and I had the EXACT same experience. Dr. said Kyle would feel bad for a few days and then would be fine. That was 13 years ago and he is still not 'fine'. MMR DID IT!!!!

no it didn't... wake up.

RamFla and everyone else,

Two studies were published last week and were posted on MSNBC (the latest in over a hundred others that have been published in the last several years around the world) by two different medical groups linking autism to glyphosate, which is the active ingredient in Roundup herbicide, made by Monsanto Corp. Monsanto is also the company that manufactures GM corn and soybeans. IN study after study, it has been absolutely proven GM corn to be linked to autism, cancer and other serious health conditions. GM corn and soybeans is used in over 80% of every factory-produced food product found on grocery store shelves, including some vegetables and fruits (wax coating and dyes). It has been proven to become part of human DNA.

In Utah, 1 in 32 unborn children will get autism. GM corn has been in production since the mid 90's and it coincides directly with the rise in autism. Glyphosate has also been proven to be the cause of world wide honey bee die-offs. Without honey bees to pollinate, we lose 30% of our food supply instantly.

Much of Europe has already banned GM corn and soybeans from production and use in food, but here in the US, it's still allowed. The Vermont legislature is considering a bill requiring labeling of GM foods and Monsanto is openly threatening to sue the state if they pass it. Here in California, there will be a ballot measure to label GM foods.

If anyone wants to learn more, go the website GMWatch and read everything you need to know about the poisoning of our food supply and why it's costing us billions in health care increases to treat the affects of glyphosate and GM food.

Today's article is nothing more than a manufactured distraction from the truth.

Many things might cause "Autism". I honestly don't even know that it should be considered and end point diagnosis or if it is a symptom of other underlying disease or injury. You wouldn't consider "back pain" a diagnosis, you would say a kid has "sore throat syndrome" of he's running a fever and having a hard time swallowing. We need to know what the cause is, and for different kids that might be different. Some might have a food allergy. Some might have a reaction to a virus or a fever. Some might have a traumatic brain injury. Some might be genetic. Some might be environmental. SOME might even be from a bad reaction to a vaccine (they do happen, though not as often as anti-vaxers seem to think)

This would explain much. Why some kids seem to grow out of it (as some kids grow out of food allergies as their digestive system develops). Why intensive therapy can work miracles for some and make little difference for others. (injury vs genetic perhaps?) There are therapies that have had some success, but often the rate of success is not as high as one would hope. I can't help but think, shouldn't a treatment have similar results across the board of the same disorder? Like almost all migraines are helped a certain degree by medication or broken bones almost always eventually knit when properly set. Why would a gluten free casein free diet work for some kids and not others? Maybe we can find better ways to diagnose it and then target our treatments, supplements, medications etc with a more accurate laser scope rather than trying to shoot it with a shot gun hoping some pellets hit the mark.

This is just plain crazy!! I have a son with autism and know lots of autisic childern with mom like my wife who where perfect in during there 9 months. The fact is we don't know why!! Sorry MSNBC.com you fail... again! Find a real story or some actual news!

Steve - Your wife was OBESE! At 5' tall she should have only been 100lbs, not 135lbs! I was 135lbs at 28 after having two kids and I am 5'7", right on target. Before the first two kids I was 5'7" and 126lbs. And just a year ago I was 130lbs. with five children ages 14, 10, 6, 5, and 4. Two of my children were severely speech delayed and I never treated them like they were not normal, even though there was definitely something wrong. To this day I will not label them and they are doing just fine. People need to treat their children like normal human beings and not coddle them into nonfunctional beings. I know vaccines did not cause that because the ingredient people keep complaining about was removed in the 1990's, second with all the illegals bringing in third world diseases now, vaccination and slight risk for supposed autism is better than the diseases your child could get from these illegals and their children.

This truly is another veiled attempt to blame mothers.Being fat causes autism,seriously?Maybe the focus should be put back on our children and not how we supposedly wronged them yet again.But that would be work,much easier to blame weight.also,for anyone who has posted who is not directly affected by autism save negative comments for radio call ins.

So many studies are just "junk" science. I am pretty sure they could find a correlation between eye color and autism as well. Unless they can find an all inclusive cause it is still just a theory. It would be easier to blame all the artificial additives we ALL ingest everyday, even those who try to eat only organic and natural foods, still get some of the stuff.

I think it is much more plausible that it is chemicals that are forced to be in our food supply that have caused a DNA mutation. Which if true, we will only have more trouble as time goes on, when these children reproduce.

I believe it has also been proven that the chemicals that are being put into our processed food are causing obesity.

So if the chemicals that are being put into our foods are causing obesity, and those same chemicals are causing autism, then obesity is just another symptom of the problem and not the source.

One guarantee. The FDA will never look into that possible correlation due to chemical company lobbying.

Does anyone know how to interpret study results these days? The article said there might be a correlation between obesity and autism. That's it. It didn't say obesity caused autism, that obesity was the only thing that could cause autism, or that every obese mother was at risk for birthing autistic kids. It merely brought up one more item in the ongoing debate.

Christ, people, try thinking a little before pouring your scientific illiteracy all over the keyboard.

I was not obese during pregnancy, I eat organic, I did not take fertility drugs, I did vaccinate my child, I do have a child with autism, I hugged him almost more than he could tolerate. I am SICK TO DEATH of the scientists who make these proclamations, once gain blaming me for my sons condition without proof.

If you have definitive - and I mean scientifically definitive - proof of what causes autism I am interested. Otherwise, shut up and stop harassing us for your own gain.

Steve - sorry, autism has been around much longer than vaccinations. Care to explain how it occurred prior to the advent of vaccinations?

steve-4229614

I've heard multiple stories that correlated with yours. The key point that is being ignored is that these children were vocal and acting normal just prior to vaccination.

For those that are believing the studies the pharma industry is putting out stating that there isn't a relation between vaccinations and autism....go back and look at the studies the tobacco industry put out refuting any link between cancer and smoking.

Follow the money people. Steve...I agree with you wish more would pay attention.

This whole weight thing is a bunch of crap- one min its a gene on the male side, then its because of vaccinations, next it will be all the electronic devices we are exposed too. My little professor is who he is and though it may be from something in his genes until we advance more in technology we will probably never know. Im just getting a little tired when they post news just to fill a page without any real conclusive research and proof.

Big pharma in their quest to expand their markets are funding research that supports broadened definitions of a variety of conditions and also identifies new "diseases" that require treatment. The result is a population ever more locked into a never-ending cycle of treatment. ADHD/Autism/ADD/diabetes...are all diseases or conditions for which there is no cure. No cure = life-long treatment = secure income stream for physicians, pharmaceutical companies and all associated entities.

Our health care costs are higher than anywhere else on earth for a reason and it isn't because we are unhealthy. I have been down the road of never ending treatment, I no longer trust the medical industry, it used to be a profession, now it is just another example of a greedy group of vultures who find ever more insidious ways of increasing their income.

I am at risk because of my attitude toward this "profession", I will likely pay a price for it but I have already been hospitalized over a misdiagnosis, medicated for years to treat conditions I cured myself of through diet and exercise, watched my mother suffer for 20 months with terminal lung cancer while being reassured we were "buying" more "quality" time, which turned out to be equal to about one month's worth.

I am still paying the price from the medications I was on, some for nearly two decades. The emphasis needs to shift from medications to prevention. In almost every case, diet and exercise will help people live longer healthier lives and yet the common "treatment" is to hand the patient another drug and send them on their way. No cure, nothing but "you need to schedule a blood draw so we can check to be sure the drug isn't harming your body". And so the cycle begins, it never ends, you're never "cured" you're only medicated. Side effects will become part of your life, you will suffer from them at some point but who cares, endless tests, follow up exams, prescriptions galore will prove lucrative for everyone who earns a living by declaring you "ill".

Man! Am I ever jaundiced! Oh no! They're going to want to treat that!

This was a case-control study, so is the first step at looking at associations but certainly not the kind of study that can prove causation. However, saying you can find a correlation between eye color and autism, too, is somewhat misleading. In any study, one sets the percentage of false positives you are willing to accept, and it is usually 5%. So, yes, there is probably a 5% chance that the association you see is spurious, and not a true association. That is where assessments like biological plausibility, dose-response, etc. come in. There is no biological pathway to explain association of eye color with autism, whereas there are several potential pathways through which maternal obesity and diabetes could be causal. Is there a greater association with greater levels of maternal obesity? This would also provide evidence that there might be a causual relationship, as you would expect greater exposure to cause more damage or a greater risk of disease.

The link between vaccines and autism has been resoundingly proven to be false. Anecdotal stories aside, it has been shown that autism rates are not lower among non-vaccinated children, and autism rates did not decline when they stopped using mercury in vaccines.

If anything, it is probably the food that we eat that effects whether a child becomes autistic or not, seriously I doubt it's obesity solely. Though obesity is a coming epidemic among this society/country, it is a very much needed issue to remedied. Sad thing is the media pushes for easy meals that are also heavily fattening, not to mention all the additives and whatnot to keep the food preserved. Maybe all that stuff is whats making us worse in the long run. You're better off eating home made meals than tv dinners and McDonalds esk food all the time.

Blaming GM corn as a cause of autism shows a complete misunderstanding on what GM corn is. As for study after study having proven a link I am still trying to find one in the peer reviewed journals.

Also the articles I have found, being rather speculative rather than scientific suggest they do not cause autism but may not be ideal for the digestive system of the autistic child.

I would like to add this to my post 1.22

In the interest of backing up my supposition that the addition of chemicals could be having an adverse effect on our health, I would like to point out some very simple chemicals that are added to our food for "taste".

Check out the ingredients added to some bottled water, which most believe is 100% pure water and safe.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnesium_sulfate- A drying agent.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_bicarbonate- Used to put out fires.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_chloride- Has many industrial uses, but the one I find most interesting is that it is the last drug administered during lethal injection protocol to stop the heart.

I have to wonder, if these are the things in simple bottled water, what else are we being subjected to without knowing, and what are the affects of being bombarded by chemicals in combination from everything we consume?

Tricycle Rabbit

I agree. At this moment, we just don't know. While it makes sense in a manner, correlation does not mean causation...

The news media really needs to stop latching onto these early stage studies. It's doing nothing but scaring people.

A good study takes at least 10 years and a large control group, can't find mention of that. This large headline is just bogus!!! I have two children with autism, and believe me, I wasn't overweight during my pregnancies (I walked with my other baby in a baby backpack during) and then a backpack and frontpack during the third pregnancy. And still I gained 20 pounds. We're all different in metabolism. Some of us do our best, some of us don't. Please don't judge, lest you get yours later!

Gene mutations happen in many many ways. For instance, environmental toxins. That's a big one. What can we do? Even our food is affected. Pretty soon we will be lucky to have a 'normal' child. I have had five children. One daughter died of SIDS, one had her first breast tumor at the age of 12 and has since been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, one is blind in one eye because the doctor didn't notice that he had 'lazy eye' (Amblyopia) until it was too late to fix it. It wasn't noticeable to me or my family. He had 20/700 vision in that eye. He is my healthiest child. My other son has classic autism and my youngest daughter has Asperger's Syndrome and Kabuki Syndrome http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/kabuki-syndrome (which at the time she was diagnosed was attributed to only 200 children in the world). I was conceived and born and raised for a while very near the Hanford Nuclear reactor site in Washington State. Both my parents died very young of cancer.

Please do not take heed of such cheap headlines. The media should be ashamed of such such blatant miscontruance of sheer dumb thought. Like SIDS, there will always be a new miracle "CAUSE" every few years for something that has been around for centuries. I am not saying there will never be a cause or a cure, only that it will come with study, time and steady as we go work ethic. No pointing fingers at overweight people!

Kathryne

It is not my business, but just a thought.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grifola_frondosa-For the whole family, but especially your daughter for her autoimmune.

http://legacy.autism.com/treatable/drug/marijuana_org.htm For your sons. It seems to be doing a lot of good.

Sorry about your kids health, I hope they do better.

Thanks, John, I appreciate your suggestions and your compassion.

Peace out!

Kathryne,

I believe you may have misunderstood my post, I was agreeing with poster RamFla. I am in agreement with you. This is a bogus headline that the news media has just latched onto for some sensational attention. We have no idea what causes autism and the news media will just keep latching onto these so-called "causes" one-by-one until the real deal is discovered. In the meantime, everyone will just be whipped into a panic on what the new "cause" is this week.

You have my well wishes and I hope for the best for you and your family.

Oh yes! I agree with what you said, that's why I quoted you! So sorry, should have said that! You said it so well! Thanks, Rabbit!

How does this relate to recent studies regarding the impact of endocrine disrupting chemicals on the obesity rates of mammals in general?

Kind of a small sample size for making claims of any kind except needing to do more research...

Also, what if the only "cause" of increase was more accurate reporting of incidence?

Also, what if autism is a standard variation and we are wrong in our assumption that it is (necessarily) dysfunction?

Umm, catlover, you are just wrong. 5 ft tall and 135 is not nearly obese...not sure where you got that. Actually even on the BMI calculator it isnt' that much into their overweight range, which doesn't take into account body type as in muscular, levels of activity, bone structure, etc., and they even admit it doesn't account for that. How about before you call people obese you go recheck that bmi calculator? Even insurance companies will often tell you they realize that isn't doesn't reflect health necessarily and that those in decent ranges are often fine.

I am 5'3" tall, and when I weighed what they said was perfect for my height I had seriously low blood pressure enough to not be able to stand up quickly, looked sick, and had irregular heartbeats. I felt like crap and had no energy. I am muscular and strongly build even though I am not big boned, and I look fine, feel great, and fit into good sized clothes at about 150.

I don't look like I weigh that much at all because of my shape and working out when I weigh that weight, and frankly at 160 I was in wonderful shape doing advanced yoga and swimming a couple of miles several times a week, running 5ks, too. My point is just looking at bmi isn't the whole picture, so even with the few samples they used we don't know if they looked at why a woman weighed more than the norm. If they used the criteria listed in the article they were way off anyway...lol.

Everyone who claims their child was perfectly normal before their vaccinations is both in denial and uniformed. Please look up what echolalia is. It explains all of that "normal" development prior to autism development. In addition, that same regression pattern as a toddler is seen in unvaccinated children as well. Andrew Wakefield lost his medical license with good reason. Please do your research and help your child instead of damaging public health for the entire country.

I have to agree. Of the 5 pairs of parents at my daughter's autism center that I know, only 2 sets of parents would seem obese to me. I pretty much live at that autism center and rarely do I ever see any parents who seem overweight at all. And I live in a state where obesity is pretty common.

Guess again, scientists!

Ram, I totally agree with you. I'm a parent of an Autistic Child, neither one of us are Obese. My observation is that children that have this disability is because of the Vacine together with the digestive system not fully developed when they get the vacine. I have movies of my child at 1 years old and he showed no issues. The usual issues started to show immediately after the vacine.

Unfurtunately we have many experts in these Blogs. Our expertise comes from experience.

Concern Citizen -

While I appreciate that it is hard for you to deal with an autistic child, I would hope you could have the good sense to stop peddling pseudo-scientific quackery on the net as others may read it and think you actually have a point. You don't. You have some anecdotal evidence, but the real evidence is against you, so please stop.

There has been no link established between vaccines and autism. People speaking out against vaccination are doing definitive and measurable harm to the population at large, causing outbreaks of diseases that used to be controlled properly with vaccines.

Anything that Andrew Wakefield has ever said should be viewed with skepticism and extreme distrust. He has proven that he has no medical ethics and is in the game to make a quick buck, and he does so at the expense of the health of thousands of children whose parents have decided to put their own children (and the children of other people) at risk through his message of stupidity, ignorance, and greed.

I agree. I know several families with autistic kids across the spectrum and none of these factors apply.

Janstince - Well said! Complete agreement.

Yes, exactly what JS in SD said. "Also, the author of this article needs to check their definition of obesity. A person with a BMI over 25 is not considered obese, they are considered overweight. It is a BMI over 30 that currently is used to indicate obesity."

Correct. Please at least do some fact checking before rushing so-called expert "opinions" out. Gee. www.cdc.org, that is pretty elementary.

oops, too rushed to offer my opinion to get the cdc website address correct. my bad! elementary: www.cdc.gov.

I have mild Aspergers and my sister has a child who is severely autistic and neither my mother or my sister were ever even remotely obese. I don't claim to be an expert on the subject but Im leaning more toward something in the enviroment that triggers a genetic trigger.

Is it possible that mothers who have children later in life are more prone to have a child with an autism spectrum disorder? My mother was 39 when I was born and my sister was 36 when my nephew was born.

RamFla and everyone else,

Two studies were published last week and were posted on MSNBC (the latest in over a hundred others that have been published in the last several years around the world) by two different medical groups linking autism to glyphosate, which is the active ingredient in Roundup herbicide, made by Monsanto Corp. Monsanto is also the company that manufactures GM corn and soybeans. IN study after study, it has been absolutely proven GM corn to be linked to autism, cancer and other serious health conditions. GM corn and soybeans is used in over 80% of every factory-produced food product found on grocery store shelves, including some vegetables and fruits (wax coating and dyes). It has been proven to become part of human DNA.

In Utah, 1 in 32 unborn children will get autism. GM corn has been in production since the mid 90's and it coincides directly with the rise in autism. Glyphosate has also been proven to be the cause of world wide honey bee die-offs. Without honey bees to pollinate, we lose 30% of our food supply instantly.

Much of Europe has already banned GM corn and soybeans from production and use in food, but here in the US, it's still allowed. The Vermont legislature is considering a bill requiring labeling of GM foods and Monsanto is openly threatening to sue the state if they pass it. Here in California, there will be a ballot measure to label GM foods.

If anyone wants to learn more, go the website GMWatch and read everything you need to know about the poisoning of our food supply and why it's costing us billions in health care increases to treat the affects of glyphosate and GM food.

Today's article is nothing more than a manufactured distraction from the truth.

@David378' That may have a link but I was born in the late 1960s before GMO foods and Roundup were in use.

I do agree that GMO foods are a menace and should be banned until we know more about them.

I personally believe that we can trace this obesity and autism rates back to the ealry 80's and the introduction of the wonderful substance ASPARTAME into over 200 products by Searle and Monsanto. Brilliantly bought to market by Searle and Rumsfield after SIXTEEN years of denial from the FDA. Anything and everything can be bought these days. We know that MONEY + Policitians is a dangerous, dangerous combination. The drugging of America.

"There percentage of obese mothers has risen, so why wouldn't there be more obese mothers of autistic children? Are they saying it is a higher percentage or number?"

They aren't comparing the percentage of obese mothers of children with autism now to previously - they are comparing the odds of children with autism having an obese mother to the odds of children without autism having an obese mother.

I agree that this is an early finding that shouldn't be taken as fact, but to all the people saying "I know skinny women who had autistic children, so this can't be true" - this line of thinking is a logical fallacy. The large majority of long-term smokers (about 90%) will never get lung cancer, and sadly people who have never smoked can get lung cancer as well. Knowing this, would you say there is can't be a link between smoking and lung cancer?

No, kallen, I wasn't saying that at all. Also, the stats on smoking and several diseases are not at all the same as this conclusion based on relatively few samples. Of course there is a link on the smoking and diseases, and it is way more conclusive than this one and was repeatedly shown in many studies on large samples over many years. If you ask people who have been around many smokers for many years I think you would find a decent number who would say they know people who have gotten diseases and who smoke or are around second hand smoke. It isn't just lung cancer, but other related as well, and that percentage is much higher.

Their sample size was tiny. Think about it. If 1 in 88 or whatever number they choose to use today really has autism, then how would using such a small control/sample group really mean anything statistically anyway? If this is repeated using a really large number and they looked at underlying reasons the women were obese if there was still any kind of correlation it would be interesting and I would take it more seriously. It would open up a new area of research, actually. But for now it is one study and not big enough to make everyone blame herself or assume it is the cause.

Thank you Carol!! At this rate maybe they need to simply take every woman who is overweight and either put her in a camp and force her to lose weight or shoot her. We simply can't have anyone woman around who is not in the overweight group in this country! Heaven forbid someone would have to look at her. Of course maybe it is the flabby man's sperm that causes autism! Lots of very obese men out there too. I suppose we can lock them up and force them to drop the blubber. Yes, very overweight people need to drop weight but when all you can afford is food that is high in carbs, not gonna happen. A healthy diet is low in carbs and high in fresh fruit and veg and proteins and that is not a cheap way to eat. The carbs fill you up and give you a feeling of fullness. The poor can't afford that kind of diet. Of course I suppose it would help if cities would tear down all the abandoned houses and just bring in loads of dirt and use the properties as community gardens for the poor to grow their own. Still, people have free will..... and there are a lot of skinny women with autistic kids..... this is just scare tactics to force people to conform..

MEEZERMOM,

Obesity is a health issue that should be taken care of regardless of whether it causes higher autism rates or not. Secondly, it is your choice to eat unhealthy; a meal for a family of 4 can be prepared for a relatively low-price. Stop eating off the dollar menu if you want to live healthier, and please don't say low-income families can't afford to eat healthy. I've seen many "low-income" families in mcdonald's eating from the dollar menu while playing on their brand new gameboy. It's time to get your priorities in order.

I am considered below the poverty level and I manage to eat fruits and vegetables and I am no where near overweight. They are affordable you buy what's on sale every week at the grocery store and there are always some fruits or vegetables on sale even in the winter that are affordable. I also eat chicken and sometimes snacks and sweets but within reason. I'm sick of hearing about how the poor can't afford to eat right, yes they can they just don't want to.

Whoa, Meezermom, that is a mouthful of misunderstandings about nutrition right there. First, fruits and veggies ARE carbs. Second, it is fat that makes you feel full (satiety), not carbs. While protein is expensive, carbs, fruits and veggies are no more expensive than junk food and soda. In any case, carbs do not make you fat (in fact, your diet should be at least half carbs - about 30% fat, up to 20% protein, 50% carbs), eating too many calories from any source is what makes you gain weight.

I think at least the first half of Meezermom's post was meant to be sarcastic.

They took the mercury out a decade ago and autism didn't decline at all.

And you make no sense when you differentiate between vaccines and the carrier solution. The "carrier solution" is just the carrier for the virus or bacteria. The vaccine is the whole package.

Sorry, Graci's Mom, that is simply not true. Unvaccinated children have the same risk of autism as children who have been vaccinated, and as Tricycle Rabbit said, they took mercury out and it didn't cause any decline in autism. The studies definitively showing no effect of vaccination on autism were funded by our government and private foundations, and the ONLY study showing any association has been proven to be a FRAUD - Andrew Wakefield literally made up data, and the paper was retracted from Lancet. There is scientific consensus that vaccinations do not cause autism.

Yes, they supposedly removed all of the thimerosal(mercury) from vaccines. I think you need to do more research. Next, the flu shots were "pushed' to everybody, young, old, pregnant, if you are breathing you need a vaccination of some sort. The flu shot has mercury. They actually admit that. Of course the autism numbers didn't go down. If a person isn't personally affected by an issue, they aren't interested enough to do their own research.

@NoHg4me, the thimerosal was removed from all childhood vaccinations by 2001. You can claim a conspiracy all you want, but there is no debate that this compound was removed from the vaccinations. You are correct that the flu vaccine still contains thimerosal; however, as you pointed out yourself, the government openly provides this information, which breaks down your implied conspiracy about continued use of the compound in childhood vaccinations. Also, considering you seem to be vehemently against vaccinations, why do you care if the flu shot contains thimerosal given that the flu shot is administered to those on an elective basis. I have not had a flu shot in years and my children have never had a flu shot, so what is the issue here? Your second to last sentence completely unravels whatever argument you were attempting to make. In saying "of course the autism numbers didn't go down" you are verifying the research results that completely disprove your conspiracy. Childhood vaccines no longer contained thimerosal after 2001, there is no debate on this point, so you are therefore admitting your continued belief in hack science in the face of disproving evidence. My question is, if you are truly as passionate about autism as you seem, why do you continue to force attention on what is a non-issue rather than direct the public's focus to issues that might provide some real answers?

Wow, here we go again. Vaccine, age, weight. Has anyone considered its environmental with all the chemicals we breathe and eat everyday, not excluding the mercury they still put in our vaccines. Not only do mothers have to deal with the fact they have a special need child, now it because of our weight. I have 5 children my youngest has autism and I weighed less with him than the rest of my children and I was 27 at the time. These studies are outragious.

I don't know that anyone said that "obesity CAUSES Autism" only that there is a correlation.

Yes, the fact that virtually half of all people in US are now obese raises the likelihood that the mother of an Autistic child will be obese.

What they DON'T mention or what hasn't been investigated is what is the common denominator that connect the mothers.

One thing that "most" obese people have in common is that they have a tendency to consume "Diet" foods that contain artificial sweeteners such as ASPARTAME.

ASPARTAME is already thought to contribute to other neurological disorders - why not Autism?

I will say right now that ASPARTAME is "too big to fail" (so to speak). You can find it in almost everything. There is too much profit at stake to let its name get too tarnished.

IMHO

I do agree that aspartame is basically a poison. That is some nasty stuff and many people feel aftereffects from it. It makes my head feel as if I have a migraine and makes my ears ring so loudly it is just horrendous. I know many who get similar effects...even a small amount is awful stuff. I am not saying it contributes to autism, but that is some awful stuff...scary how many things it is in and how much of it people get.

The irony is almost all kids' vitamins have it. So they would get a dose a day even if they ate well otherwise...least healthy substance mine would take in if we had them take vitamins with it in it. Ick.

I was 350+ lbs and gave birth to two healthy children who are a normal weight. Neither are autistic. Obese mothers do not give birth to unhealthy children.

I hope you're trying to be funny/witty. All obesity is not caused by eating unhealthy. There are many reasons for obesity.

Just like autism isn't caused by bad nutrition or obesity. A family friend who is a health nut (vegetarian, exercises daily) has two kids. The mother exercised, ate right, never smoked, never been overweight, etc .... How would explain her youngest daughter being autistic?

ASPARTAME

If we were to follow that logic-does that mean Rising Gas Prices also magically give people like me an Autism Spectrum Disorder? You know nothing.....just like the experts

As smart as you think you are, you should know there is no correlation to your comparison.

Where the effects of obesity have a direct impact on the health of our body. Which has a direct effect on a baby.

What are you bitter about?

Bobby, your assumption wasn't really that logical either. The point was that gas prices went up, average weight went up. In your line of reasoning they both must be significantly related to the rise in autism case numbers. It might be significant or might not be...but isn't necessarily.

That's an old wives tail. The fact is that there has been no studies except for one, and that one was tainted, that showed that. All that does is risk your child from deadly diseases. There is a rare condition that mimics autism that vaccines can effect but it is rare.

Please cite the studies showing any association between vaccines and autism. This has been definitely proven to be false (and the initial paper suggesting the association has been withdrawn due to fraud).

Sorry, it sounds like you're selling the Vitamin D newsletter. My daughter took her vitamins, including D. She ate healthy, exercised and was normal sized. My grandson is still autistic. When you've seen one autistic child, you have seen ONE autistic child. Every single one is different. To tack on another label of "what causes it" does no one any service. I'm sure it's a combination of things, and Vitamin D may play a part somewhere with someone, but it's not the cure all.

I have been very fat all my life,had 3 children each 18 to 20 months apart. could not take the vitamins because they made me very sick and guess how many of them are autistic...not a one of them. I know a nurse very healthy, a runner, never over weight a day in her life, took her vitamins, had good medical care 2 pregnancies more then 3 years apart both children are autistic. The thing with stats is you can make them say whatever you want if you do it right. We do not know what causes some of the illness that affect us or our children but I know one thing for sure historically if you look at almost any illness that has been studied they all at some point try to lay it all at the feet of the mother. I for one do not accept this! I am a good mother and did the best I could for my children with the resources available to me whatever illness they may ever get is not because I was fat, poor or whatever other cause the experts would like to put on me. Here is an idea instead of spending money on studies that point fingers lets find usable treatments and tools to help these parents raise their children to the best of their abilities.

Just last week I was watching some news/science show that authoritatively claimed that breaks in the father's genetic material was a possible/probable cause of autism.

Now we're on to obesity in mothers as a possible cause?

I delayed my children's MMRs until they were three (although I didn't forego it entirely) because I was/am still haunted by the tales of parents who could definitively trace their child's symptoms back to that particular instance of that shot, when they first noticed them. I'd probably still do it again today.

Vitamin D information is at VitaminDWiki web site

Autism and Obesity Overviews are linked from the home page

EVERYTHING is free on that web site, and there is NO advertising

MSNBC removed the hyperlinks in my original post

A clinical trial was started in 2011 to document that taking enough vitamin D will greatly reduce the probability of having an autistic child.

Give me a break. Obesity is horrible, it affects the person, their fetus and puts a horrific strain on the healthcare system. Is it definite that obesity MAY be a contributing factor to autism, no. Is it a possibility, absolutely.

My father died from obesity (colon cancer), my mother is nearly dead from obesity (heart failure), my sister is obese and at 52 has a pacemaker/defib device, my other sister (50) just had a stent placed due to a blockage. Fortunately, I'm the youngest and have seen the devastation obesity causes, and I am thin. Obesity destroys the body and it could certainly be a contributor to autism.

lissa, I think you hit the nail on the head.

Frequent male Flyer--just a question: Are you or any of siblings autistic? No? Then, please do more homework regarding autism. You may rant all you want about obesity, linking it to autism "just because" is not valid. To link autism to green grass, full moon, obesity, vaccines, the color purple, etc. "just because" is irresponsible. Hard core research, not just a passing study, is what is needed to determine the real causes (and possible cures) for autism. Finger pointing just causes arthritis.

**Finger pointing just causes arthritis.** Hey, there's a new thought for an all new study. I wonder how much grant money I can get for that?

Lissa,

At one time they did NOT KNOW what caused Polio, either. That did not negate the fact that with research they eventually found the cause and the cure.

The research cited here did NOT say obesity CAUSED Autism. Only that there was a high correlation of obese mothers. Obesity often times includes poor eating habits, diabetes or borderline diabetes, thyroid problems, dieting and artificial sweeteners, etc.

It is ridiculous to think think that because they don't know now - they will NEVER know...

Hmmm - people say we should study what is causing autism, and then when they do a study (the main finding was that metabolic abnormalities, including diabetes and not just maternal obesity, were associated with autism), people jump all over how it isn't true. We don't KNOW what causes autism, which is why we need studies like this to suggest areas to further explore. Before the Framingham Study we didn't KNOW that high cholesterol caused heart disease, either. Now it is well accepted.

This case-study is about as much bullcrap as the others that they've conducted to find a way to cure Asperger Syndrome. You cant believe the experts-because none of them know a damn thing.

I would know, as I was born with Asperger Syndrome myself. My mom was a little overweight-but who really isnt while there Pregnant? Thats the funny thing, every pregnant mother could be considered Obese during that time frame! And your absolutely right, some of this nations brightest were just like me and many others who are in the spectrum.

The thing is, I dont see why people put that much emphasis as to where it comes from. They should focus on helping the kids that currently has AS then worry about curing them. In time, there symptoms will go away and they may be as normal as most kids. It just requires better parenting

Because you have a tiny sample size and nothing is correlated 100%.

Because, JK, looking around you and making anecdotal observations isn't a scientific way to answer the question. People tend to notice things that are congruent with their beliefs, and overlook things that aren't, and so science has to take a methodical approach. Few diseases are caused by one factor, so of course there will be normal weight people with an autistic child, even if obesity is a cause.

The more that is shoveled, the deeper it gets. So according to jayberg, all factors must considered to make obesity the cause of autism. Yeah, right. Let's say the moon is full, again, and that's the main factor. The moon is full about 13 times a year. If someone did a study, I'll be they could find where the fullness of the moon has a higher correlation factor than obesity, vaccines, dad's genetic material, drug use, vitamin D, or poor mothering. (--All of which I have read about since the first of January.)

Good, hard research is needed, not some passing, inane study. In the meantime, a good number of our kids are suffering and/or afflicted. And we are being diverted from reality by another BOGUS study--this one decrying fat moms. Give me a break.