Is maternal diabetes associated with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD in the offspring? A short review.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review synthesizing epidemiological and mechanistic literature without a formal systematic review methodology.
PubMed 42528741 · doi:10.3389/fcdhc.2026.1855251
What was done
The authors conducted a narrative review synthesizing current epidemiological and mechanistic evidence on the association between maternal diabetes (gestational diabetes, type 1 diabetes, and type 2 diabetes) and the incidence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in offspring.
What was found
The abstract provides no numerical data, effect sizes, or confidence intervals. It reports that large cohort studies consistently show an increased risk of ASD and ADHD following in utero exposure to maternal diabetes, with a stronger association observed for ADHD in offspring of mothers with type 1 diabetes. Proposed mechanisms include oxidative stress, epigenetic changes, hormonal dysregulation, and preterm birth.
Why it matters
This review highlights in utero metabolic and glycemic exposures as potential modifiable risk factors for offspring neurodevelopmental disorders.
Limits
The review synthesizes observational studies subject to heterogeneity and residual confounding (e.g., maternal obesity, advanced maternal age, fertility treatments), preventing causal conclusions. No quantitative meta-analytic pooling was reported.