Study: Autism Linked to Industrial Food, Environment

[mellowsong]

Common Dreams (could find no author name)
11 April 2012

Report cites prevalence of high-fructose corn syrup in US diet as possible contributor to alarming epidemic.
A new study by Clinical Epigenetics, (http://www.clinicalepigeneticsjournal.com/content/4/1/6/abstract)a peer-reviewed journal that focuses largely on diseases, has found that the rise in autism in the United States could be linked to the industrial food system, specifically the prevalence of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in the American diet. The study, published yesterday online, explores how mineral deficiencies could impact how the human body rids itself of common toxic chemicals like mercury and pesticides. The report comes just after a different report, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, documented (http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/03/29-8) a startling rise in autism in the United States.

Read more: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/04/11-6

[Aaltrude]

Autism also appears to be on the rise in New Zealand yet HFCS is not nearly as prevalent here as it is in the US.

[Islander]

I think, given the new statistics, everyone's grasping at straws. A handful of theories have arrived in my in-box. Frankly, the tendency seems to be to oversimplify, isolate a single cause that can be targeted with a silver bullet. Very likely this is a complex, multifactorial condition embracing genes, nutrition, environmental toxins, vaccines and probably others I haven't thought of. Any one or combination may load the gun, and a vaccine pulls the trigger.

Yes, the US diet contains a lot of HFCS...and sugar...and MSG...and hydrogenated vegetable oils...and GMOs. Remember, correlation ≠ causation. Various treatments have proven modestly successful, but it is useless to talk about prevention until we can actually pinpoint the cause(s).

[Mr. Wizard]

I, too, believe that autism is far too complex to be isolated to a single cause---as noted by Islander in her post. I've studied autism with great interest, as I have a family member who has two---not one, but two--children born to the same mother and both with different, but progressive, stages of autism. The mother's only other sibling is fine and his children show no signs of autism. So, here you have two people born and raised in the same house, eating the same food, essentially raised in the same environment, and one produces two autistic children, while the other's offspring are perfectly healthy and fine. I'm befuddled by this whole autism condition. But, I strongly believe, in the end, this will not be a condition isolated to a single cause.

[mellowsong]

I agree with y'all on multi-factorial...just like CFIDS, FM etc. I was just relieved to see an article pointing out that environment and diet could have an effect. For weeks, ever since the huge increase was announced, I've read so many things blaming genetics I want to puke. Yet, they are still going ahead with the revisions to the DSM which will remove approximately 40% of the currently diagnosed autistic children from the diagnosis.

[bmc65]

I'll go with the multi factorial theory. During my pregnancy and in general the recent suggestions ( HFCS, obesity) do not apply. Yet, my child is on the spectrum. At least until the new DSM comes out.