Study suggest food allergies may be linked to autism spectrum disorder

AUTISM really could be triggered by food allergies, according to new research.

A study of almost 200,000 children found those with the learning disability were more than two and a half times as likely to suffer a food intolerance.

The discovery adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting immune system dysfunction raises the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Author Professor Wei Bao, an epidemiologist at the University of Iowa, said: “It is possible the immunologic disruptions may have processes beginning early in life, which then influence brain development and social functioning, leading to the development of ASD.”

The study analysed health information gathered by the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), an annual survey of American households conducted by the US centres for disease control and prevention.

The children were aged from three to 17 and the data was obtained between 1997 and 2016.

It found 11.25 per cent of children reportedly diagnosed with ASD have a food allergy, much more than the 4.25% who are not diagnosed with ASD and have a food allergy.

The finding was observational so Prof Bao’s team could not establish that an intolerancee causes autism.

But previous studies have suggested possible links including alterations in gut bacteria and increased production of antibodies.