Link between eating fresh fruit in pregnancy and autism???

[newmommy7-08]

Has anyone heard of this before? We were at a family reunion today and DH's cousin is 11 weeks along. Her dad told me she was advised (by her doctors) to not eat fresh fruit during her pregnancy unless it was organic because there's a link between consuming fresh fruit during pregnancy and autism.

I have to say this shocked me, and please someone tell me it's bogus because I do a LOT of reading and this is a link I've NEVER heard of before!!!! My midwives have certainly never mentioned it and I have eaten fresh fruit through both pregnancies like CRAZY!

[megviolet]

Woah. Well i've never heard of it, and haven't looked into it at all... but my initial reaction is that it can't be right.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if there is a link between autism and residual pesticides on fruit/veggies.... but what about speculating a link from hormones in meats and dairy? Preservatives? Food dyes? Environmental pollution.. air fresheners... cosmetics... synthetic vitamins... pharmaceuticals... know what i mean? And for that matter, why focus on autism, let's be honest, for the most part it's impossible to avoid all the poisons we have put into the world and it undoubtedly is a key factor in tons of disorders and diseases.

I think eating a well rounded healthy diet, organic whenever possible, is always a safe bet.

that's crazy that a doc recommended avoiding fresh fruit... so is he expecting that canned or frozen fruit is safe somehow? And why are veggies not culprit?
Sheesh... i'd google but i'm too lazy and frankly, i dont' think my opinion on this one is going to change anyway LOL.


Go have an apple

[Beltane]

Perhaps her doctor meant the pesticides and such that are used to grow fruits and vegetables today? That's the only thing I can think of - it would make sense if he suggested to eat organic only. I'm sure a Google search would turn up a plethora of links regarding the possible hazards of the chemicals that non-organic foods are grown with.

I donno...I'm going to keep eating my fruits and vegetables - organic or not.

[Qbear'smama]

I have never heard that one, either and I live on fruit when pregnant, it's one of my biggest cravings...guess I'll add that one to the list of food prohibitions that I either ignore entirely or take with skepticism...

[juliebird]

So, her doctor didn't say avoid fruits and veggies, he said avoid non-organic fruits and veggies, right? THat to me is a completely different thing than telling her to avoid produce altogether.

My guess is he was referring to a study that the Journal of Pediatrics published maybe last month. The research found that children with increased levels of a certain kind of pesticide in their urine were twice as likely to have ADHD. The report says that the most likely place for kids to ingest this form of pesticide is on produce that is commercially grown (in other words "not organically grown").

The recommendation is that people should choose organic and/or locally grown produce as often as possible.

Here is a link to the story:
http://www.fastcompany.com/1648770/s...icide-exposure

also, FWIW, I hadn't heard any official warnings for pregnant women to choose organic during gestation just warnings for children to avoid, though it makes perfect sense for both groups to avoid.

[lillymonster]

Originally Posted by juliebird

My guess is he was referring to a study that the Journal of Pediatrics published maybe last month. The research found that children with increased levels of a certain kind of pesticide in their urine were twice as likely to have ADHD. The report says that the most likely place for kids to ingest this form of pesticide is on produce that is commercially grown (in other words "not organically grown").

I have heard this, but I am kind of shocked the doctor doesn't know the difference between ADHD and autism. I am hoping your cousin misinterpreted what the doctors said (or her dad) and got the two confused. But either way, they were talking about children ingesting the food.

Now my daughter has SPD, which is sometimes misdiagnosed as ADD or ADHD, and honestly, I probably didn't eat much fruit with her because for some reason I have aversions to healthy food while pregnant. But like someone else said, were does it stop? I have been told not to eat peanuts while pregnant or breastfeeding to avoid peanut allergies. Well, my daughter was allergic to soy, diary and egg, should doctors start advising pregnant women cut out all top allergens just to be safe?

[dejagerw]

I hadn't heard this one. But I did read an article somewhere linking pitocin to autism. With autism on the rise, it seems like they're trying to find the cause I guess.

[HeatherB]

Yeah, I agree with some of the PPs. I would take that as "avoid pesticides," NOT "avoid produce." I would also avoid some of the other things mentioned - all sorts of toxins that we run into on a daily basis. The less our exposure, the more likely our children will be overall healthy - whether the concern is autism, ADHD, cancers, etc.

[newmommy7-08]

Thanks all... I knew if ANYONE would know about this it'd be my MDC community! I thought it was kind of out there... and proceeded to finish my fruit salad w/o pause. We don't usually buy organic (because honestly it's just too expensive) but I do buy as much as possible from the local markets as I can since unless it's packaged like potatos, celery, or baby carrots then it's locally grown.

I can't fathom being told not to eat fruits when we're supposed to be eating a well rounded diet.

[EdnaMarie]

Crashing, but I also think that autism is higher among the higher classes / richer people and they eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. Could be a cause-and-effect thing, could be a diagnosis issue:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/93833.php

I ate organic during both of my pregnancies. I think it's a good idea. However I also think that autism is a poorly understood phenomenon and I wouldn't worry about eating fresh fruits and vegetables. Seems like everything's correlated with it.

[EllisH]

I think it's always a good idea to wash the fruit carefully anyway - a lot of the pesticides you can mostly wash of (and it's also advised in view of the risk of toxoplasmosis). And I esp. llke to buy soft fruit organically (e.g. strawberries and raspberries), because those absorb more pesticides.

I highly doubt a direct link between pesticides on fruit and autism / ADHD has been established. ADHD, however, has been strongly linked to food colouring (e.g. in candy).

One final remark: it's been argued that the risk from pesticides never outweighs the benefits of eating fruit at all. So don't let this discourage you from eating healthy fruit!

[AllyRae]

Originally Posted by juliebird

So, her doctor didn't say avoid fruits and veggies, he said avoid non-organic fruits and veggies, right? THat to me is a completely different thing than telling her to avoid produce altogether.

My guess is he was referring to a study that the Journal of Pediatrics published maybe last month. The research found that children with increased levels of a certain kind of pesticide in their urine were twice as likely to have ADHD. The report says that the most likely place for kids to ingest this form of pesticide is on produce that is commercially grown (in other words "not organically grown").

The recommendation is that people should choose organic and/or locally grown produce as often as possible.

Here is a link to the story:
http://www.fastcompany.com/1648770/s...icide-exposure

also, FWIW, I hadn't heard any official warnings for pregnant women to choose organic during gestation just warnings for children to avoid, though it makes perfect sense for both groups to avoid.

Yes, this.

No, they haven't linked pesticide use to autism. They have found a linke between pesticide use and ADHD. A lot of the symptoms of ADHD are found in Autism and Sensory Processing Issues. There may or may not be a link between pesticides and autism. That's a hard one to determine because I would imagine every single pregnant woman in the world has had fresh fruit during pregnancy...

It is a pretty good recommendation to avoid pesticides and chemicals during pregnancy, so regardless of whether it's linked to autism, it's a pretty prudent suggestion. Even if you can't do organics any other time, during pregnancy is a good time to do it. And there aren't just pesticides in FRESH fruit--the frozen and canned stuff also has pesticides...

[EdnaMarie]

"ADHD, however, has been strongly linked to food colouring (e.g. in candy)."

Among 1 - 2% of children, food coloring is linked to temporary bouts of hyperactive behavior. This was in a generally accepted study.

No other links have been found. I think my child is one of those 1 - 2% at times, and I have my suspicions about all chemical additives, but I don't think that generalizing the results of that study is useful.

[AllyRae]

Originally Posted by EdnaMarie

Crashing, but I also think that autism is higher among the higher classes / richer people and they eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. Could be a cause-and-effect thing, could be a diagnosis issue:
.

Yeah, I think it's more because autism diagnosis is expensive (it was over $2500 for the evaluations for my son's diagnosis)...it's not always covered by government aided medical plans (medicaid, etc.). It's more likely that the wealthier individuals can afford the specialists & testing, either through private pay or through insurance.

All over the world people eat fruits and veggies during pregnancy. I would think that even low-income women are eating fruits and veggies...it might not be fresh--it might be canned or frozen. Those still have pesticides.

[AllyRae]

Originally Posted by lillymonster

I have been told not to eat peanuts while pregnant or breastfeeding to avoid peanut allergies. Well, my daughter was allergic to soy, diary and egg, should doctors start advising pregnant women cut out all top allergens just to be safe?

LOL, yeah... FWIW, my son has a peanut allergy and I *hate* peanuts. With a bloody passion. I never had one during pregnancy or breastfeeding (and really, probably never had them in any reasonable quantity since I was a kid and developed a strong distaste for any nut). My first daughter, who came from a country that doesn't use a lot of dairy, egg, or wheat has allergies to all of those (and she wasn't breastfed, and her birth mother likely had a very traditional diet that is eaten in the poverty-stricken area of northern Vietnam). My second daughter has allergies to a lot of foods due to an immune deficiency, she is breastfed, and it doesn't matter if it's a food I have avoided or not. So, you just never know. In the end, I have to eat what I have to to be able to be healthy as well. It just seems like my kids get the short end of the allergy stick. :

And the other truth of the matter is that we don't know what causes autism. There is likely no one cause. You can avoid everything that might be linked, but you'd probably be in serious trouble because I'm sure they've linked everything to autism, from drinking tap water to breathing in city air to eating fruit. At this point, they're just grasping at straws. But when you start to see things being linked that are nearly impossible to avoid or that every pregnant woman in the world is exposed to, I'd sort of be a bit suspect...

[lillymonster]

Originally Posted by EdnaMarie

"ADHD, however, has been strongly linked to food colouring (e.g. in candy)."

Among 1 - 2% of children, food coloring is linked to temporary bouts of hyperactive behavior. This was in a generally accepted study.

No other links have been found. I think my child is one of those 1 - 2% at times, and I have my suspicions about all chemical additives, but I don't think that generalizing the results of that study is useful.

I too have only heard hyperactive behavior, not ADHD. My daughter too changes behavior with those foods, but after it's out of her system it's fine. She, as of yet, is not diagnosed with ADHD. Now with ADHD, some cases are now being diagnosed as SPD. My child does have SPD, and we have no food dyes in our diet and she still has issues with SPD. Removing food coloring might help with symptoms, but it's not a direct cause, she was like that when she was born within a few weeks, and I never ate a lot of food dyes while pregnant and she hasn't in the past 3 years.

[RedOakMomma]

Originally Posted by newmommy7-08

Has anyone heard of this before? We were at a family reunion today and DH's cousin is 11 weeks along. Her dad told me she was advised (by her doctors) to not eat fresh fruit during her pregnancy unless it was organic because there's a link between consuming fresh fruit during pregnancy and autism.

I have to say this shocked me, and please someone tell me it's bogus because I do a LOT of reading and this is a link I've NEVER heard of before!!!! My midwives have certainly never mentioned it and I have eaten fresh fruit through both pregnancies like CRAZY!

A story that goes from doctor to pregnant cousin to dad to the OP has lots of room for getting messed up along the way. Who knows what the doctor originally said, yk?

[JessieBird]

I've seen a few studies and documentaries demonstrating really disturbing rates of ADHD and developmental delays (not Autism) in children raised in farming communities that use a lot of pesticides/herbicides/fertilizers, particularily in south and central america (less so in US because of wider awareness and better access to health care). Also in children of women who work in the cut flower and greenhouse industries, which are also terribly chemical-laden.

Sorry I can't provide any specifics but I've heard enough to make my choice to buy organic (mostly, not strictly) to be more about the producers and their children than about my own family's health. I feel terribly guilty that families a world away are being subjected to these horrible substances just so that my grocery bill can be a few bucks less. I hope I am doing my little bit to increase demand for organic and therefor decrease demand for produce that is treated with pesticides/herbicides/fertilizers.

As for our own health, better safe than sorry so I think that it's a good idea to choose organic when we can. I doubt that a moderate amount of well-washed regular produce could do much harm though. And it seems ridiculous to avoid fresh fruit altogether, I'm sure that part was a misinterpretation of the message.

[lunarlady]

I just follow the guidelines of the "dirty dozen/clean 15". These were updated for 2010 and show the residual pesticide content in foods that were conventionally grown (not organic) after powerwashing, homewashing and/or pealing (depending on the food.) While the link between pesticides and ADHD or other issues is rather tentative at the moment, I feel better safe than sorry. So I try to avoid buying conventional items that are highly contaminated (the dirty dozen), and buy those organic when I can, but also try to avoid breaking the bank by buying other items non-organic.

Here are the dirty dozen (or the worst in terms of pesticides after washing/pealing):
1) Celery
2) Peaches
3) Strawberries
4) Apples
5) Blueberries
6) Nectarines
7) Bell Peppers
8) spinach
9) Kale
10) Cherries
11) Potatoes
12) Grapes

The "clean 15" are ones that show little to no residual pesticides.
1) Onions
2) Avocado
3) Sweet Corn
4) Pineapple
5) Mango
6) Sweet Peas
7) Asparagus
8) Kiwi
9) Cabbage
10) Eggplant
11) Cantaloupe
12) Watermelon
13) Grapefruit
14) Sweet Potato
15) Honeydew melon

While we can't all afford to buy organic all the time, it is good to know what produce is most contaminated so you can make an educated decision. A link to these lists can be found at http://foodnews.org/ Happy eating!

[LROM]

Thanks Lunarlady - for those of us who can't afford to buy everything organic, that list really helps.