Much or likely. Since they get vaccinated at the same rate, maybe the culprit for the diagnosis lays elsewhere?
>>However, since boys are more likely to be diagnosed than girls...<<
>>Much more likely. Since they get vaccinated at the same rate, maybe the culprit for the diagnosis lays elsewhere?<<
Here’s a paper anyone interested in autism should read, primarily because in it Dr. Cannell explains why a vitamin D deficiency can explain most of the observations surrounding autism: http://www.direct-ms.org/pdf/VitDNonAuto/Cannell%20Autism%20Vit%20D.pdf
Here’s what he says about the boy/girl issue (calcitriol is activated vitamin D):
“Sexual differences and vitamin D
“Estrogen and testosterone appear to have strikingly
different effects on vitamin D metabolism, which
may explain the striking sex differences in autism.
For example, Epstein and Schneider report, ‘‘the
majority of studies have found a positive effect
of estrogen on calcitriol levels’’ [45], but after
reviewing studies on testosterone, they found no
similar effects (p. 1261). If estrogen increases neural
calcitriol, but testosterone does not; such differences
during brain development may mean
that estrogen shields developing female brains
from calcitriol deficiencies, while testosterone exposes
male ones.”
And, in the same paper, his comments (in part) on heavy metals, including mercury:
“This last function of vitamin D, increasing cellular
levels of glutathione [40], may explain the purported
link between heavy metals, oxidative
stress, and autism. For example, calcitriol attenuates
iron-induced [41] and zinc-induced [42] oxidative
injuries in rat brain. The primary route for the
neurotoxicity of most heavy metals is through
depletion of glutathione and subsequent generation
of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species [43].
Besides its function as a master antioxidant, glutathione
acts as a chelating agent to remove heavy
metals, including mercury [44].”
In the Discussion section he states:
“The theory that vitamin D deficiency is a major
cause of autism is of medical and social consequence,
parsimonious, has a tenable mechanism
of action, subsumes numerous other theories, implies
simple prevention, hints at a widely available
and inexpensive treatment effect, and is
easily disprovable – all components of a useful
theory. Predisposing genetic variations in some
component of the vitamin D system – perhaps
as simple as Gaussian variations in CYP27B1 – a
genetic predisposition the first-order mass action
kinetics of calcitriol might be able to salvage,
would explain its high monozygotic twin concordance
rates and environmentally determined variations
in substrate levels during later life would
explain its varying phenotype. Low vitamin D levels
in the dark-skinned may explain its increased
prevalence in African Americans, and falling vitamin
D levels over the last 20 years explain its
increasing incidence. Discrepant effects of sex
steroids on calcitriol metabolism may explain
male preponderance. Several types of studies
could address the theory.”
Much or likely. Since they get vaccinated at the same rate, maybe the culprit for the diagnosis lays elsewhere?
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1 in 42 boys, and 1 in 189 girls. That was the statistics when the autism rate was 1 in 68.
The new rate seems to be 1 in 50, but I can’t find the new breakdown numbers of the boys vs girls.
It really does not surprise me that boys are more likely to get autism.
My daughter was born premature and had to spend some time in the NICU. The nurses always said that the boys were much weaker and had a lot more set backs than the girls.
It seemed to be true, because the girls all went home earlier than the boys that were born at the same gestation.
For whatever reason, the boys seem to have a weaker immune system than the girls.