Children born to older parents are 50% more likely to have autism

now, New research It looks not only at the age of the parents, but also at the age of the grandparents when the parents were born, regarding the increased likelihood of ASD.

Last week at the JAMA Network Open, this study was published titled “The Association of Grandparents and Parents’ Ages for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

“What is even more interesting in this white paper is the evaluation of a new hypothesis that focuses on potential“ intergenerational risk ”. [autism spectrum disorder]” Zeyan Liew, Ph.D., MPH, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at Yale University School of Public Health in Connecticut and corresponding research author.

“Results of a Survey of Parents’ Age at Birth and Their Future Risks [autism spectrum disorder] My grandson is a novel, “Liew told Healthline. “that is [autism] Intergenerational risk should also be considered in future etiological studies. “

The team of researchers examined data from the Danish National Health Register, which includes three generations and approximately 1.5 million children.

They found that children born to parents in their thirties were up to 10% more likely to have ASD than parents aged 25 to 29.

Researchers also reported that if the parents were in their 40s or 50s, they were 50 percent more likely.

“We observed higher numbers of children with young maternal grandparents and children with older and younger paternal grandparents [autism] Risk compared to grandparents’ children aged 25 to 29 at the birth of their parents. “

But these findings are unique and “needs more replication,” he says.

“The discovery of increased risk for young grandparents is a novelty,” he said. Thomas Frazier, Was a professor of psychology at John Carroll University in Ohio and was the former Chief Science and Program Director for Autism Speaks.

“It may mean that the young grandparents convey some risks to their children, which may increase, or at least complement, their parents’ risks,” Frazier told Healthline.

“For example, younger grandparents also have less money and, consequently, poor nutrition can affect the biology of their parents. These biological effects can then be magnified in older parents. He added.

Frazier says studies suggest that there may be some environmental factors that affect children. But the results need to be repeated and he needs to show whether the effects of grandparents persist after controlling parental aging, he says.

“For research, we suggest that we should strive to understand the genetic and possibly epigenetic factors transmitted from parent to child, and how this poses greater problems to the children of older parents. Do you think? ”He explained. “Is there a way to reduce these effects? Replenishment? Exercise? Other health factors for parents?”

Bottom line? “We need to study this further,” Frazier said.

Jen Lin The mother of ASD’s son. She is the defender of ASD, Upcountry community resources, A non-profit organization serving people with disabilities.

Healthline turned to Lynn for her response to the study.

“I believe that all knowledge is power, and I always try to learn as much as possible about what impacts our community,” she said. “But after seeing these results, I feel pretty helpless. As a parent, armed with this information, I was able to plan to have children early, but When my mother or father was born, I absolutely do nothing about how old my grandparents were. “

Looking back over the clues over generations, Lin hopes to focus on the potential roles of environmental factors such as pesticides, preservatives, and processed foods.

“Some people agree that finding the cause of autism is paramount, but I tend to address my reality at the moment,” Lin said.

“Sure, raising a child with autism is more challenging,” she added. “There are many benefits. [autistic] A child or a relative of your family. “

The researchers say there is considerable interest in the possible association of ASD with the age of the grandparents, as the global trend to postpone parent-child relationships increases.

“It has a multifactorial nature. [autism spectrum disorder] An etiology that includes a range of potentially causative genetics and environmental risk factors, “Liew said.

“It is also important to find out if there are other modifiable risk factors that correlate with prophylactic or intervening childbearing age that can help reduce the risk of ASD in the offspring of very young or old parents.” He added. .