{"id":17720,"date":"2019-10-18T17:02:53","date_gmt":"2019-10-18T17:02:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/?p=17720&post_type=story"},"modified":"2023-11-20T20:24:20","modified_gmt":"2023-11-20T20:24:20","slug":"processing-risk-childhood-autism","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/processing-risk-childhood-autism\/","title":{"rendered":"Processing Risk"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fall 2019 | By Nicole Dudenhoefer \u201917<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Autism diagnoses have risen 15\u00a0percent in the past six years, with 1\u00a0in 59 U.S. children now being diagnosed\u00a0with the developmental disorder. As a\u00a0result, scientists are working diligently\u00a0to understand the overlapping genetic\u00a0and environmental factors that cause\u00a0it. And a group of researchers at UCF\u00a0may have found a link: processed foods.<\/p>\n

Children with autism often\u00a0experience gastrointestinal issues,\u00a0which led UCF Professor Saleh Naser to\u00a0wonder if there\u2019s a link between the gut\u00a0and brain, and how gut bacteria differ\u00a0for those who have autism. In a study\u00a0published in Scientific Reports<\/em><\/a>, Naser\u00a0and his team, including postdoctoral\u00a0scholar Latifa Abdelli \u201914MS \u201915PhD<\/strong>\u00a0and undergraduate research assistant\u00a0Aseela Samsam, discovered that a food\u00a0preservative known as propionic acid\u00a0(PPA) can alter how a fetus\u2019s brain\u00a0develops during pregnancy<\/a>, leading\u00a0to autism.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s my hope that our study will\u00a0motivate other scientists to look into\u00a0the role of PPA in the development of\u00a0autism with the goal of eliminating the\u00a0condition as we know it,\u201d says Naser,\u00a0who has 25 years of experience studying\u00a0gastroenterology.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how it happens:<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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PPA is a naturally occurring acid released\u00a0in our digestive tract as food ferments.\u00a0It\u2019s also produced chemically as a food\u00a0preservative for bread and to flavor\u00a0products such as processed cheese.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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If a pregnant woman consumes a\u00a0significant amount of processed\u00a0foods, PPA levels can spike.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In excess, PPA impacts a fetus\u2019 brain\u00a0by reducing the development of\u00a0neurons \u2014 cells that tell other body\u00a0cells how to function. This can also\u00a0damage neurons\u2019 communication\u00a0pathways throughout the body.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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High amounts of PPA also cause an\u00a0overproduction of glial cells. These cells\u00a0protect neuron function, but too many\u00a0cells disrupt the connection between\u00a0neurons and causes inflammation in the\u00a0brain and the rest of the body.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Typically there is a one-to-one ratio of neurons to glial\u00a0cells, but in Naser\u2019s study high levels of PPA threw off\u00a0this balance with a one-to-four ratio. This smaller number\u00a0of neurons also exhibited abnormal qualities in the study.\u00a0Together, these issues result in behaviors associated\u00a0with autism, such as difficulty communicating in social\u00a0settings and repetitive behaviors such as rocking.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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What is Autism?
\n<\/strong>Autism is a disorder covering a wide range of conditions that include\u00a0challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, and speech and nonverbal\u00a0communication. Other sensory sensitivities and medical issues, such as\u00a0seizures and gastrointestinal disorders, often accompany the condition.\u00a0Since autism affects people differently, some people diagnosed with it live\u00a0independently while others may need varying levels of daily support.<\/p>\n

Which Foods Contain PPA?
\n<\/strong>Store-bought breads,\u00a0baked goods, processed\u00a0cheese, dried fruits and\u00a0juices often contain\u00a0some form of PPA as\u00a0a preservative.<\/p>\n

Check labels for these ingredients:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Sodium propionate\/propanoate<\/li>\n
  • Calcium propionate\/propanoate<\/li>\n
  • Methyl propionate\/propanoate<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":17880,"template":"","categories":[1127],"tags":[654,772,1414,30],"class_list":["post-17720","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-infographic","tag-college-of-medicine","tag-impact","tag-innovation","tag-research","issues-1348","issues-fall-2019"],"yoast_head":"\nAutism and Processed Food: UCF Researchers Discover Link<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Could eating processed foods while pregnant increase the likelihood of childhood autism? 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