Influencing Factors of the Autism Epidemic
After treating several young patients with autism, I am convinced that vaccines play a major role in this unfortunate condition. My position may be controversial, but there is ample evidence to support such a claim. Components of vaccines such as mercury, aluminum, formaldehyde, and embryonic stem cells among others, may play a role in this epidemic. Indeed, evidence suggests that vaccines increase the risk of developing autism by 27 times. This correlation is even stronger than the link between lung cancer and smoking. In other words, you have less risk of having lung cancer from smoking than developing autism from vaccines. Furthermore, it is well accepted that both environmental factors and nutrition play a large role in reversing this condition.
Digestive track and Autism
There can be little doubt that the status of the gastro-intestinal (GI) track plays a significant role in the development of autism. In support of this, a gluten-free, dairy-free, and grain-free diet is often beneficial for autistic children. What causes the GI track to go awry and lead to the development of this neurological issue? There are a variety of factors and the exact causation is not simple. Vaccination is a very controversial but credible cause of autism and further study demonstrates that maternal exposure to pesticides is another possible contributing factor (1). According to researchers from Harvard University, there are nine factors that lead to the development of autism: exposure to mercury; cadmium; nickel; trichloroethylene (industrial solvent); vinyl chloride (a component of PVC); residence in regions that are urbanized; locations at higher latitudes; locales that experience high levels of precipitation, and excessive time spent watching television (electronics) (2). The first five factors cause mutations and the last four are associated with decreased sun exposure and increased risk for vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D protects DNA against oxidative stress and mutations, thusly, vitamin D is crucial to the prevention of autism. There is also evidence that milk formula is associated with autism as these formulas contain aluminum, cadmium, and MSG among other toxic compounds. These compounds increase the toxic burden on the liver, which can greatly decrease the health status of the child. Autistic children have also been shown to be sensitive to electro-magnetic fields. EMFs do not cause autism but are an aggravating factor.
What about copper?
Several studies have suggested a disturbance in the metabolism of Copper (Cu) and Zinc (Zn) in the autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Zinc deficiency, excess Cu levels, and a low Zn/Cu ratio are common in children diagnosed with an ASD. The literature also suggests that mercury and an accumulation of heavy metals may occur as a cause or consequence of metallothionein (MT) dysfunction. MTs are proteins involved in heavy metal neutralization in the body. Zinc and Cu bind to and participate in the control of the synthesis of MT proteins. Indeed, Zinc is required for the production of these proteins and consequently for the neutralization of heavy metals by MTs. Copper is also known to bind MTs. What is not clear is the consequence of this interaction. A recent study demonstrates that autistic children have a significantly higher blood Copper level compared to Zinc (3). In other words, these children have much more Copper than Zinc and the ratio Zn/Cu is very low. What if this excess of Copper neutralizes the MTs, impairing metal elimination by the body? To counteract this, Zinc supplementation is recommended to help ASD children. On the flip side, mercury, arsenic, cadmium are also known to interfere with MTs production and function, thus creating a vicious cycle where mercury impairs the elimination of heavy metals, (such as Copper), through MT interference, and inversely, the excess of Copper impairs the function of MTs. Therefore, what we have is a situation where the body is unable to process and eliminate heavy metals properly.
Primary cause of autism
Without any doubt, the actual cause of autism is environmental toxins. It is interesting to note that the main source of heavy metals involved in autism, (mercury, copper, and nickel), are some of the exact components present in dental amalgams. More than 75% of dental crowns used today are nickel based and there is evidence that maternal exposure of mercury from the mother’s amalgams is a factor driving the development of autism (4, 5). It is estimated that about 60-70% of the mother’s toxin load is transferred to the baby in utero. A 2004 study conducted by the Environmental Working Group indicates that an average of 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants were found in utero.
Toxins, either from the mother or from environmental sources (vaccines), disrupt proper functioning of the digestive tract. This disruption can lead to leaky gut syndrome and ultimately auto-immune conditions. Dr. Vijendra Singh has clearly demonstrated that the MMR vaccine causes autism (6, 7, 8, 9). His work shows that vaccines induce an attack against myelin present in the nervous system. Specifically, the vaccine causes antibody production that will attack and disintegrate the myelin sheath present around the nervous fibers that relay messages throughout the body. However, what is fascinating is that he shows that the measles component is the culprit. This is the same conclusion that Dr. Andrew Wakefield came up with, but in his case, his research focused on the impact of the measles vaccine in the bowel.
In brief, minimizing the mother’s and baby’s exposure to environmental toxins and optimizing the diet of both is tantamount to proper metabolization, elimination, and body/tissue protection from such toxins and a biologic overload leading to auto-immune diseases.
Dr. Serge is a clinical nutritionist. He owns a doctorate degree in nutrition from McGill University in Canada. In addition, he completed a 7-year postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School in Massachusetts where he studied the impact of fat as it relates to heart disease. He has authored a book on this topic that is awaiting publication with Edition Berger publishers in Canada. He holds an advance certification in Nutrition Response Testing (SM) from Ulan Nutritional Systems in Florida and he is a certified herbalist through the Australian College of Phytotherapy. His personalized nutritional programs allow to help individuals with a wide variety of health concerns such as hormonal imbalance, digestive issues, heart-related conditions, detoxes/cleanses, weight loss, fatigue, migraines, allergies, among others.
1. Roberts, E. M., P. B. English, J. K. Grether, G. C. Windham, L. Somberg, and C. Wolff. 2007. Maternal residence near agricultural pesticide applications and autism spectrum disorders among children in the California Central Valley. Environ Health Perspect 115:1482-9.
2. Kinney, D. K., D. H. Barch, B. Chayka, S. Napoleon, and K. M. Munir. 2009. Environmental risk factors for autism: Do they help cause de novo genetic mutations that contribute to the disorder? Med Hypotheses.
3. Biol Trace Elem Res.2015 Feb;163(1-2):2-10. doi: 10.1007/s12011-014-0121-6. Epub 2014 Sep 19.
Levels of metals in the blood and specific porphyrins in the urine in children with autism spectrum disorders.
Macedoni-Lukšič M1, Gosar D, Bjørklund G, Oražem J, Kodrič J, Lešnik-Musek P, Zupančič M, France-Štiglic A, Sešek-Briški A,Neubauer D, Osredkar J.
4. Geier, D. A., J. K. Kern, and M. R. Geier. 2009. A prospective study of prenatal mercury exposure from maternal dental amalgams and autism severity. Acta Neurobiol Exp (Wars) 69:189-97.
5. Echeverria, D., H. V. Aposhian, J. S. Woods, N. J. Heyer, M. M. Aposhian, A. C. Bittner, Jr., R. K. Mahurin, and M. Cianciola. 1998. Neurobehavioral effects from exposure to dental amalgam Hg(o): new distinctions between recent exposure and Hg body burden. Faseb J 12:971-80.
6. Singh, V. K., and R. L. Jensen. 2003. Elevated levels of measles antibodies in children with autism. Pediatr Neurol 28:292-4.
7. Singh, V. K., S. X. Lin, E. Newell, and C. Nelson. 2002. Abnormal measles-mumps-rubella antibodies and CNS autoimmunity in children with autism. J Biomed Sci 9:359-64.
8. Singh, V. K., S. X. Lin, and V. C. Yang. 1998. Serological association of measles virus and human herpesvirus-6 with brain autoantibodies in autism. Clin Immunol Immunopathol 89:105-8.
9. Singh, V. K., R. P. Warren, J. D. Odell, W. L. Warren, and P. Cole. 1993. Antibodies to myelin basic protein in children with autistic behavior. Brain Behav Immun 7:97-103.
He has authored a book on this topic that is awaiting publication with Edition Berger publishers in Canada. He holds an advance certification in Nutrition Response Testing (SM) from Ulan Nutritional Systems in Florida and he is a certified herbalist through the Australian College of Phytotherapy.
His personalized nutritional programs allow to help individuals with a wide variety of health concerns such as hormonal imbalance, digestive issues, heart-related conditions, detoxes/cleanses, weight loss, fatigue, migraines, allergies, among others.
