Discussing Autism

A few days ago Kerry Ng at The Autism Blog wrote an article on how vitamin D deficiency is related to autism. The Telegraph was the first to report this article Telegraph in England where they have had the worst midsummer weather on record. But why does that matter?

Because sunlight gives us Vitamin D. Without Vitamin D our bodies can suffer from rickets, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and possibly, autism.

Children from orphanages like Little Pickel are at a great risk for a vitamin D deficiency due to lack of sunlight as well as proper nutrients. Additionally, according to the Telegraph they are at a greater risk for Type 1 diabetes and MS.

However, the risk of MS, diabetes, and possibly autism, can be decreased by having birth mothers take vitamin D during pregnancy and by giving infants vitamin drops that contain vitamin D.

The Vitamin D Council tends to agree with the UK theory.

The theory that vitamin D deficiency, during pregnancy or childhood, causes autism is just a theory. However, the theory has a plausible mechanism of action, explains all the unexplained facts about autism, subsumes several other theories, implies simple prevention, and is easily disprovable—all components of a useful theory. A genetic lesion (abnormality) in some component of the vitamin D system—a lesion vitamin D’s unique pharmacology could overcome—would explain why monozygotic (identical) twins are highly affected while fraternal twins are not. Varying brain levels of activated vitamin D during later life would explain why some identical twins get severe disease while others are barely affected. Falling vitamin D levels over the last 20 years due to sun‑avoidance explain autism’s rapid increase in incidence during that same time. The very different effects estrogen and testosterone have on vitamin D metabolism may explain why boys are much more likely to get it than girls are. Lower vitamin D levels in blacks may explain their higher rates of autism. The vitamin D theory has tenable explanations for all the epidemiological features of autism.

What is interesting is that when the American Medical Association Council on Scientific Affairs told the American public to start avoiding the sun (specifically pregnant women and young children) they also did not warn us of the potential vitamin D deficiencies that would cause.
Currently, they still recommend the same daily units of vitamin intake. Dietary Reference Intakes: For Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Fluoride (Dietary Reference Series)

Why is vitamin D so important?
According to the Vitamin D Council it aids in normal brain development, stimulates brain cell growth, and maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus. It also helps to maintain strong bones, thus the connection to rickets.

Major Food Sources
Cod Liver Oil
Salmon, Mackerel, Tuna (although children are not advised to eat fish, especially salt water)
Fortified Milk
Margarine
Pudding prepared with fortified Milk
Ready to eat cereals fortified with 10% of the daily allowance
Eggs (vitamin D is in the egg yolk)
Liver
Swiss Cheese

When does a Deficiency Occur?
The Office of Dietary Supplements states that a deficiency can occur for 1 of four reasons.
# when usual intake is below recommended levels (Milk allergy, lactose intolerance, vegetarianism, and strict breast feeding without supplementation)
# when there is limited exposure to sunlight
# when the kidney cannot convert vitamin D to its active hormone form
# when someone cannot adequately absorb vitamin D from the digestive tract

In this case, my son had 3 strikes against him when we adopted him; he was not given the proper nutrition and had a lactose intolerance and no vitamins, he had limited sun exposure, and he had a stomach bacteria called H Pylori which damaged his intestinal lining and caused a “leaky gut”. When we brought him home from Russia at the age of 26 months he had a mild case of rickets (seen only in his protruding forehead), and was also very anemic.

Do children with rickets show signs of autism?
Personally, YES. Little Pickel, my son had mild rickets and he showed many signs of autism, albeit Institutional Autism, but only upon getting adequate nutrition. Before that he was quite calm and sedated. Once he started eating he was able to “come out of his shell”.

This is Mangan’s answer from Vitamin D Council:

If vitamin D deficiency caused autism, then children with vitamin D deficient rickets would be at greater risk for the disease. To the best of my knowledge, no studies have looked at the psychiatric profiles of children with vitamin D deficient rickets to look for evidence of autism. However, children with rickets are more likely to be hypotonic (flabby muscle tone), display decreased activity, and have developmental motor delays. Hypotonia is common in children with autism, as is decreased activity, and developmental motor delays are the rule

All that said, does Vitamin D link to Autism or is this just the new fad in theories?

Word Press, Technorati, Vitamin D, deficiency, autism, institutional autism, rickets, developmental delays, Vitamin D Council, sunlight, H Pylori, Multiple Sclerosis, diabetes, orphanages, Vitamin council, pregnancy, children, blood cells, brain development, Tags