Metabolomic profiling uncovered how maternal diet and metabolism may contribute to the risk of ADHD and autism in children
MORRISVILLE, N.C. – May 28, 2025 – Metabolon, Inc., the global leader in providing metabolomics solutions advancing a wide variety of life science research, diagnostic, therapeutic development, and precision medicine applications, today announced that Metabolon’s untargeted metabolomics services were used in a landmark study led by principal investigators Rassmussen, Stokholm, Lasky-Su, and Kelly. The study, published in Nature Metabolism, revealed that blood metabolomic profiling was instrumental in uncovering biological mechanisms linking maternal diet and metabolism to neurodevelopmental disorders and in validating these associations through a consistent metabolic signature observed across multiple independent cohorts.
Globally, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects approximately 5–7% of children and adolescents and 2–5% of adults, with variations in prevalence influenced by regional differences in diagnostic practices. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has an estimated global prevalence of about 1–2% (around 1 in 100 children), although some recent studies suggest rates up to 2.3%. Boys are diagnosed with autism roughly four times more frequently than girls.
Horner et al. conducted a large-scale analysis involving over 60,000 mother-child pairs, with untargeted blood metabolomic profiling performed on a subset of approximately 1,500 pairs, featuring longitudinal maternal and child sampling, to identify metabolic dietary signatures associated with neurodevelopmental risk. Metabolon’s Global Discovery Panel, an untargeted metabolomics platform, was used to generate high-resolution metabolic profiles from maternal plasma during pregnancy and from children at multiple developmental stages. Subanalyses of the child metabolomic data showed that the most pronounced associations with neurodevelopmental outcomes were linked specifically to maternal diet during pregnancy, highlighting the prenatal period as a particularly sensitive window of exposure.
The study revealed that consuming a Western diet during pregnancy significantly increased the risk of autism and ADHD in infants and children. Dietary survey data from COPSAC2010, a mother-child cohort based in Denmark, initially showed that moderate dietary shifts toward a Western dietary pattern were associated with increased ADHD risk by 66% and autism by 122%. Encouragingly, even modest improvements away from Western eating habits could meaningfully lower these risks, highlighting practical implications for prenatal nutrition. This Western dietary pattern was externally validated in the U.S.-based VDAART cohort using blood metabolomic modeling aligned with independently assessed food frequency questionnaires. Moreover, the association between this dietary pattern and ADHD risk was replicated across three independent mother-child cohorts, strengthening the inference for ADHD. Metabolomic profiling identified 15 circulating metabolites that significantly mediated the relationship between diet and neurodevelopment, offering insights into potential biological mechanisms.
“This study analyzed maternal dietary patterns during pregnancy and evaluated children’s mental health at age 10. Using dietary surveys and blood metabolomics, we discovered that a Western dietary pattern in pregnancy was strongly associated with increased risk of ADHD and autism. By comparing metabolomic profiles from mid-pregnancy in the COPSAC cohort with early and late pregnancy samples from the VDAART cohort, we were able to infer that early to mid-pregnancy may represent a particularly sensitive window during which maternal diet can shape child neurodevelopment,” said lead author of the study and lead COPSAC researcher Morten Arendt Rassmussen.
Co-author and Principal Investigator of the VDAART cohort Jessica Lasky-Su added, “One of the most compelling aspects of this study is that metabolomic profiling was able to identify consistent dietary signals linked to neurodevelopmental risk across cohorts that differ significantly in socioeconomic status, race, and geographic setting. These insights pave the way for targeted nutritional interventions during pregnancy that could potentially reduce the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in children across a broad range of populations. The breadth of metabolites captured on the Metabolon platform was instrumental in enabling us to draw these conclusions.”
“We’re extremely pleased to support the international efforts of the COPSAC and VDAART investigative teams led by Morten Arendt Rassmussen, Jakob Stokholm, Jessica Lasky-Su, and Rachel Kelly,” said Greg Michelotti, Director of Population Health at Metabolon. “This study shows the power of metabolomics and specifically Metabolon’s industry-leading untargeted metabolomics services to elucidate novel insights for caregivers and parents worldwide seeking the healthiest possible outcomes for children.”
Learn more about this groundbreaking scientific research here.
Learn more about Metabolon’s untargeted metabolomics services here.
