The Vitamin D Council: LINK? the autism epidemic and the vitamin D deficiency epidemic

The Vitamin D Council: LINK? the autism epidemic and the vitamin D deficiency epidemic

The Vitamin D Council’s free remote autism program is not only up and running, we now have some outcomes to report. First, as some readers may know, another paper appeared last month that recommended “urgent” research on the association of the autism epidemic with the vitamin D deficiency epidemic.
The senior author in the above review was Christopher Gillberg. I should say thee Christopher Gillberg, as he is famous as a prolific author, editor and the recipient of numerous awards. Dr. Gillberg is especially well known across the world for his autism research. When I saw his name, I knew it was just a matter of time before the entire theory was under the microscope, so to speak.
If you remember, we are offering a free autism program to help parents vigorously correct vitamin D deficiency in their children with autism. As long as the Council can afford it, everything is free for the families: the vitamin D blood tests, the vitamin D, the scales, and the help from me. Just email us at info@vitamindcouncil.org.
The entire goal is to raise vitamin D levels from the very low levels that we find initially (5-20 ng/ml, if they’ve never supplemented), to high normal ranges (around 80 ng/ml). The “normal” range for most labs is 30-100 ng/ml, so all the parents are doing is raising their children’s levels to the same levels some lifeguards have at the end of summer. With our help, the parents use a combination of sunlight (when it is available) and supplements to do so.
The most common problem we have run into is parent’s unwillingness to give enough vitamin D to their child to obtain high normal levels. Too often, the child’s pediatrician tells the parents that the dose is too high – in spite of the normal blood levels – and the parents withdraw from the program. We never give advice contrary to the child’s doctor; in fact, we try to work with the doctor when possible.
If you remember, for more than 30 years, most of the infants in East Germany received 600,000 IU every 3 months. Many had a total dose of 3.6 million units by age 18 months, with transitory mild high blood calcium being the only side effect in one-third of the infants. The authors commented on how healthy the infants appeared. While the East German doctors gave way too much vitamin D, it demonstrates that even infants tolerate high doses of vitamin D with few serious side effects. Again, our kids are all older, receive much less vitamin D and are maintained in the normal range.
The second most common problem we have had is vitamin A. Vitamin A interferes with the action of vitamin D, probably at the receptor site. Unfortunately, some autistic children have taken 50,000 or 100,000 IU of vitamin A repeatedly or take cod liver oil. As vitamin A has no known catabolic (breakdown) pathway in the human body, these children may have subclinical vitamin A toxicity and in theory, vitamin D might not help. I try it anyway, but I have seen what I said; it does not help very much. The parents ask how long it takes to get the excess vitamin A out of the system, and I have no answer to their question.
However, in the children who obtain the high normal blood levels and who have not taken vitamin A, the response has been very satisfying. I believe the vitamin D’s mechanisms of action in these autistic children is through a combination of its antioxidant capabilities, glutathione and superoxide dismutase upregulation, increased Tregs (cells that help prevent autoimmunity), increased production of the proteins that repair DNA, and reduction of inflammation via multiple mechanisms. I have sometimes found that levels of 75 ng/ml work in most children while levels around 50 ng/ml do not. I can’t explain that and would welcome some theories why not?
Vitamin D appears to have beneficial effects in autism on meltdowns, tantrums and sleep (one mother, who works outside the home, was so thankful when her child no longer woke at 3 AM, wanting to play). Surprisingly, vitamin D also seems to benefit shyness, eye contact, speech and sometimes, compulsiveness. Several parents have commented on the neuromuscular improvements after vitamin D. Most of our children require around 5,000 IU/day to obtain a 25(OH)D of 80 ng/ml but all are different. We try to use D-Plus as studies show that many autistic children are deficient in magnesium as well as zinc.
Our autism program has been a great success, personally rewarding for all of us here at the Council, and is ongoing. So, if you have a child with autism and want to participate in it, contact us at info@vitamindcouncil.org. As long as our money lasts, everything is free.

John J Cannell, MD
Executive Director


Office: (805) 439-1075

Vitamins & Healthy Fats Promote Mental Acuity

Vitamins & Healthy Fats Promote Mental Acuity

Posted on 2012-01-16 06:00:01 in Alzheimer's Disease | Brain and Mental Performance | Diet |Vitamins |

A diet rich in key vitamins and healthy fats may help older men and women to stay cognitively sharp, as well as reduce brain shrinkage associated with Alzheimer’s Disease. Conversely, a “junk food” diet (characterized by high trans fat intake) predicts lower cognitive scores, as well as reduced total cerebral brain volume. G.L. Bowman, from Oregon Health and Science University (or guide, USA), and colleagues completed a study that specifically measured a wide range of blood nutrient levels and correlated them to performance on mental acuity tests. The researchers enrolled 104 people, average age 87 years, none of whom experienced special risk factors for memory or mental acuity. The team tested 30 different nutrient biomarkers in their blood, and 42 participants also had MRI scans to measure their brain volume. The most favorable cognitive outcomes and brain size measurements were associated with two dietary patterns – high levels of marine fatty acids, and high levels of vitamins B, C, D and E. In contrast, consistently worse cognitive performance was associated with a higher intake of the type of trans-fats found in baked and fried foods, margarine, fast food and other less-healthy dietary choices. The researchers conclude that: "Distinct nutrient biomarker patterns detected in plasma are interwpretable and account for a significant degree of variance in both cognitive function and brain volume.”

Diet, nutrient levels linked to cognitive ability, brain shrinkage

CORVALLIS, Ore. – New research has found that elderly people with higher levels of several vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids in their blood had better performance on mental acuity tests and less of the brain shrinkage typical of Alzheimer's disease – while "junk food" diets produced just the opposite result.

The study was among the first of its type to specifically measure a wide range of blood nutrient levels instead of basing findings on less precise data such as food questionnaires, and found positive effects of high levels of vitamins B, C, D, E and the healthy oils most commonly found in fish.

The research was done by scientists from the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Ore., and the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. It was published today in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

"This approach clearly shows the biological and neurological activity that's associated with actual nutrient levels, both good and bad," said Maret Traber, a principal investigator with the Linus Pauling Institute and co-author on the study.

"The vitamins and nutrients you get from eating a wide range of fruits, vegetables and fish can be measured in blood biomarkers," Traber said. "I'm a firm believer these nutrients have strong potential to protect your brain and make it work better."

The study was done with 104 people, at an average age of 87, with no special risk factors for memory or mental acuity. It tested 30 different nutrient biomarkers in their blood, and 42 participants also had MRI scans to measure their brain volume.

"These findings are based on average people eating average American diets," Traber said. "If anyone right now is considering a New Year's resolution to improve their diet, this would certainly give them another reason to eat more fruits and vegetables."

Among the findings and observations:

• The most favorable cognitive outcomes and brain size measurements were associated with two dietary patterns – high levels of marine fatty acids, and high levels of vitamins B, C, D and E.
• Consistently worse cognitive performance was associated with a higher intake of the type of trans-fats found in baked and fried foods, margarine, fast food and other less-healthy dietary choices.
• The range of demographic and lifestyle habits examined included age, gender, education, smoking, drinking, blood pressure, body mass index and many others.
• The use of blood analysis helped to eliminate issues such as people's flawed recollection of what they ate, and personal variability in nutrients absorbed.
• Much of the variation in mental performance depended on factors such as age or education, but nutrient status accounted for 17 percent of thinking and memory scores and 37 percent of the variation in brain size.
• Cognitive changes related to different diets may be due both to impacts on brain size and cardiovascular function.

The epidemiology of Alzheimer's disease has suggested a role for nutrition, the researchers said in their study, but previous research using conventional analysis, and looking in isolation at single nutrients or small groups, have been disappointing. The study of 30 different blood nutrient levels done in this research reflects a wider range of nutrients and adds specificity to the findings.

The study needs to be confirmed with further research and other variables tested, the scientists said

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health.