Maternal Dyslipidemia, Plasma Branched-Chain Amino Acids, and the Risk of Child Autism Spectrum Disorder: Evidence of Sex Difference

Anita A Panjwani; Yuelong Ji; Jed W Fahey; Amanda Palmer; Guoying Wang; Xiumei Hong; Barry Zuckerman; Xiaobin Wang

doi:10.1007/s10803-019-04264-x

Maternal Dyslipidemia, Plasma Branched-Chain Amino Acids, and the Risk of Child Autism Spectrum Disorder: Evidence of Sex Difference

J Autism Dev Disord. 2020 Feb;50(2):540-550. doi: 10.1007/s10803-019-04264-x.

Authors

Anita A Panjwani¹, Yuelong Ji², Jed W Fahey^{1

3

4}, Amanda Palmer¹, Guoying Wang², Xiumei Hong², Barry Zuckerman⁵, Xiaobin Wang^{6

7}

Affiliations

¹ Department of International Health, Center for Human Nutrition, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
² Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Center on the Early Life Origins of Disease, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, E4132, Baltimore, MD, 21205-2179, USA.
³ Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, Cullman Chemoprotection Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
⁴ Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
⁵ Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
⁶ Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Center on the Early Life Origins of Disease, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, E4132, Baltimore, MD, 21205-2179, USA. xwang82@jhu.edu.
⁷ Division of General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. xwang82@jhu.edu.

PMID: 31686281
DOI: 10.1007/s10803-019-04264-x

Abstract

In contrast to the well-observed associations between obesity, diabetes, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the roles of maternal dyslipidemia and sex disparity in ASD have not been well-studied. We examined the joint associations of maternal plasma cholesterols, branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and child sex on child ASD risk. We analyzed data from 756 mother-infant pairs (86 ASD) from the Boston Birth Cohort. Maternal plasma cholesterols and BCAAs were measured in samples collected 24-72 h postpartum. We found that in this urban, low-income prospective birth cohort, low maternal high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), above-median maternal plasma BCAA concentrations, and male sex additively or synergistically increased risk of ASD. Additional studies are necessary to confirm our findings.

Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder; Branched-chain amino acids; Maternal cholesterols; Metabolomics; Pre- and perinatal risk factors; Sex differences.

MeSH terms

Amino Acids, Branched-Chain / blood*
Autism Spectrum Disorder / blood*
Autism Spectrum Disorder / epidemiology
Child
Cholesterol, HDL / blood
Cohort Studies
Dyslipidemias / blood*
Dyslipidemias / epidemiology
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Maternal Health / trends*
Obesity / blood
Obesity / epidemiology
Prospective Studies
Risk Factors
Sex Characteristics*

Substances

Amino Acids, Branched-Chain
Cholesterol, HDL

Abstract

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding