Daily Early-Life Exposures to Diet Soda and Aspartame Are Associated with Autism in Males: A Case-Control Study

Details

• Personal Author:
  Fowler SP ; Gimeno Ruiz de Porras D ; Heilbrun LP ; Palmer RF ; Stigler Granados P ; Swartz MD
• Description:
  Since its introduction, aspartame-the leading sweetener in U.S. diet sodas (DS)-has been reported to cause neurological problems in some users. In prospective studies, the offspring of mothers who consumed diet sodas/beverages (DSB) daily during pregnancy experienced increased health problems. We hypothesized that gestational/early-life exposure to ≥1 DS/day (DSearly) or equivalent aspartame (ASPearly: ≥177 mg/day) increases autism risk. The case-control Autism Tooth Fairy Study obtained retrospective dietary recalls for DSB and aspartame consumption during pregnancy/breastfeeding from the mothers of 235 offspring with autism spectrum disorder (ASD: cases) and 121 neurotypically developing offspring (controls). The exposure odds ratios (ORs) for DSearly and ASPearly were computed for autism, ASD, and the non-regressive conditions of each. Among males, the DSearly odds were tripled for autism (OR = 3.1; 95% CI: 1.02, 9.7) and non-regressive autism (OR = 3.5; 95% CI: 1.1, 11.1); the ASPearly odds were even higher: OR = 3.4 (95% CI: 1.1, 10.4) and 3.7 (95% CI: 1.2, 11.8), respectively (p < 0.05 for each). The ORs for non-regressive ASD in males were almost tripled but were not statistically significant: DSearly OR = 2.7 (95% CI: 0.9, 8.4); ASPearly OR = 2.9 (95% CI: 0.9, 8.8). No statistically significant associations were found in females. Our findings contribute to the growing literature raising concerns about potential offspring harm from maternal DSB/aspartame intake in pregnancy. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Diet Occupational Health Pregnancy Safety
• Keywords:
  Artificial Sweeteners ASDs Aspartame Author Keywords: Autism Autism Spectrum Disorder Autism Spectrum Disorders Case Control Studies Diet Beverages Diet Soda Food Additives High-intensity Sweeteners Non-nutritive Sweeteners Nutrition Prenatal Exposure

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• ISSN:
  2072-6643
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 6 ; OSHA Region 9 ; Texas
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  15
• Issue:
  17
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20068528
• Citation:
  Nutrients 2023 Sep; 15(17):3772
• Contact Point Address:
  Sharon Parten Fowler, Department of Medicine, Joe R. & Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
• Email:
  fowlers@uthscsa.edu
• CAS Registry Number:
  Aspartame (CAS RN 22839-47-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• Performing Organization:
  University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Nutrients
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:49e6364ac8c4f35cd81d99f1cbd69f88cdfe4f93f3f89f660d7c2e945f88aebce60aa61eec5e7beddf6a93e787b5343e69090234bc982cc7673df8ce08b28e56
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/207142/cdc_207142_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 917.91 KB ]