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Autism risks include chemicals, deficiency of vitamin D, Omega-3 – mini-review April 2016

Chemicals, Nutrition, and Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Mini-Review

Frontiers in Neuroscience, doi: 10.3389/fnins.2016.00174
Takeo Fujiwara1’2*, Naho Morisaki1, Yukiko Honda1’3, Makiko Sampei 1 and Yukako Tani1’2’4
1 Department of Social Medicine, National Research institute for Child Health and Development, Okura, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan,
2 Department of Global Health Promotion, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan,
3 Global Cooperation institute for Sustainable Cities, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan,
4 Department of Health Education and Health Sociology, School of Public Health, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

The rapid increase of the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) suggests that exposure to chemicals may impact the development of ASD. Therefore, we reviewed literature on the following chemicals, nutrient to investigate their association with ASD: (1) smoke/tobacco, (2) alcohol, (3) air pollution, (4) pesticides, (5) endocrine-disrupting chemicals, (6) heavy metals, (7) micronutrients, (8) fatty acid, and (9) parental obesity as a proxy of accumulation of specific chemicals or nutritional status.
Several chemical exposures such as

  • air pollution (e.g., particular matter 2.5),
  • pesticides,
  • bisphenol A,
  • phthalates,
  • mercury, and
  • nutrition deficiency such as folic acid, vitamin D, or fatty acid

may possibly be associated with an increased risk of ASD,
whereas other traditional risk factors such as

  • smoking/tobacco,
  • alcohol, or
  • polychlorinated biphenyls

are less likely to be associated with ASD.
Further research is needed to accumulate evidence on the association between chemical exposure and nutrient deficiencies and ASD in various doses and populations.

 Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki


Note: many of the Autism risk factors mentioned in the abstract decrease levels of vitamin D

See also VitaminDWiki

Autism treated by Vitamin D: Dr. Cannell - video June 2013 includes many reasons why he believes Autism is related to Vitamin D

  1. Both have strong inheritance features – Vitamin D about 60%
  2. Both have gotten substantially worse in last 30 years
  3. Vitamin D is known to be involved in brain development
  4. All autistic children are VitD deficient, but not all children who are deficient are autistic: genes are involved
  5. When giving vitamin D to cure children of rickets “mental dullness” decreases as well
  6. Children with genes which give them too much (Williams Syndrome) have to reverse of autism – too sociable
  7. Mothers having lots of fish (and thus more vitamin D) give birth to kids with less autistic symptoms
  8. Both associated with weak bones
  9. Both worse around the age of weaning
  10. Autism is more common in rich families – more likely to apply sun screen and stay indoors
  11. Autism increases with drugs which lower levels of vitamin D
  12. Seizures are common with Autism - Vitamin D has been shown to reduce seizures
  13. Fewer autistic symptoms (such as sleep problems) during summer: when child gets more vitamin D from the sun
  14. Both worse with latitude
  15. Both vary with Ultraviolet light
  16. Both vary with time of year (more birth of autistics in March in Northern hemisphere)
  17. 2X more urban autism – less UVB in urban environments
  18. Both worse with pollution
  19. Both worse with increased clouds and rain
  20. Both worse with closely spaced pregnancies
  21. Autistics have abnormal immune response – similar to that of vitamin D deficiency
  22. Low levels of vitamin D in mother animals reduces brain function in offspring
  23. Vitamin deficient rat pups have similar brain abnormalities to that of human autistic children
  24. Autistic children get less vitamin D in their blood for the same amount of sun exposure
  25. The 4 males/1 female ratio - Note estrogen increases vitamin D in the brain (testosterone does not)
  26. Both worse in African Americans (A-A 2-3 increased autism rate)
  27. Both worse in Dark-skinned immigrants in Europe

Attached files

ID Name Comment Uploaded Size Downloads
6652 65-Autism chemicals, nutrition Fujiwara.pdf admin 10 May, 2016 386.97 Kb 707