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Vitamin D Theory of Autism
Vitamin-D council ^ | Dr. John Cannell

Posted on 07/07/2008 11:38:46 AM PDT by Coleus

Vitamin D Theory of Autism

In addition to the current epidemic of vitamin D deficiency, say another epidemic—an epidemic of autism—was upon our children? What if the autism epidemic began at the same time the epidemic of vitamin D deficiency began? What if both epidemics had worsened in unison? What if one theory explained all the unexplained facts about autism? What if both epidemics had the same root cause: sun avoidance? What if both were iatrogenic, that is, medical advice to avoid the sun had caused both epidemics? Be warned, what follows is not light reading—autism is not a light disease.

Does The Vitamin D Theory Best Explain Autism?

The theory that vitamin D deficiency, during pregnancy or childhood, causes autism is just a theory. However, the theory has a plausible mechanism of action, explains all the unexplained facts about autism, subsumes several other theories, implies simple prevention, and is easily disprovable—all components of a useful theory. A genetic lesion (abnormality) in some component of the vitamin D system—a lesion vitamin D's unique pharmacology could overcome—would explain why monozygotic (identical) twins are highly affected while fraternal twins are not. Varying brain levels of activated vitamin D during later life would explain why some identical twins get severe disease while others are barely affected. Falling vitamin D levels over the last 20 years due to sun‑avoidance explain autism's rapid increase in incidence during that same time. The very different effects estrogen and testosterone have on vitamin D metabolism may explain why boys are much more likely to get it than girls are. Lower vitamin D levels in blacks may explain their higher rates of autism. The vitamin D theory has tenable explanations for all the epidemiological features of autism.

What's The Risk of Going In The Sun?

The window of opportunity to affect brain development is limited. Time is of the essence if the vitamin D theory of autism is correct. Ask yourself, what is the risk of taking your autistic child outside to play in the sun? What's the risk of pregnant women sunbathing for a few minutes every day? Children always played in the sun before the epidemic of autism; your pregnant grandmother spent time in the sun as well. Physicians considered that sunshine was healthy before the sun‑scare, that is, before autism became an epidemic.» page: autism index  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11



TOPICS: Health/Medicine; Science
KEYWORDS: autism; health; vitamind
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1 posted on 07/07/2008 11:38:46 AM PDT by Coleus
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To: DixieOklahoma; reuben barruchstein; theprophetyellszambolamboromo; Alusch; house of cards; ...

.


2 posted on 07/07/2008 11:41:00 AM PDT by Coleus (Abortion and Physician-assisted Murder (aka-Euthanasia), Don't Democrats just kill ya?)
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To: Coleus

Vitamin D may tur out to be good for everything but auto accidents.


3 posted on 07/07/2008 11:52:34 AM PDT by devere
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To: Coleus

I think the skin cancer epidemic coincides with the campaign to discourage exposure to the sun. Everything in moderation. But if the sun is such a deadly cause of skin cancer, how did our ancestors survive?


4 posted on 07/07/2008 11:54:29 AM PDT by 3AngelaD (They screwed up their own countries so bad they had to leave, and now they're here screwing up ours)
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To: Coleus

Vit D is very interesting to me. Especially since I was dx’d with Prostate cancer last Oct. I think sun exposure has more benefits than risks, but the loons has guided into fear of cancer if we step outside. As I understand, 30 minutes of sun exposure for a person with fair to medium complexion will produce 15000 IU of D.


5 posted on 07/07/2008 11:54:33 AM PDT by devane617 (we are so screwed)
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To: 3AngelaD

Most of them didn’t. They’re dead :)


6 posted on 07/07/2008 12:00:47 PM PDT by Blogger
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To: 3AngelaD
You think the “skin cancer epidemic” is a government plot? You should see the arms and face of my 73 year old blond blue eyed husband. He was a sailor on an Coast guard Cutter, then he was a rancher, fisherman and hunter for the remained of his life. Now he has a standing appointment every 3 months with the dermatologist. The doc cuts new lesions off of him every appointment. So far no melanoma but he has had ever other kind of skin cancer. He never wore sunblock and this is what he gets.
7 posted on 07/07/2008 12:07:58 PM PDT by Ditter
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To: Coleus

The autism/vit.D connection sounds like a plausible argument, given the effect of hormones on the developing brain.


8 posted on 07/07/2008 12:13:50 PM PDT by count-your-change (you don't have to be brilliant, not being stupid is enough.)
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To: Coleus

I have an autistic son and a wife who spent her pregnancy by a pool in Clearwater Florida.

Neeeeeeeeext.


9 posted on 07/07/2008 12:20:44 PM PDT by Soliton (Investigate, study, learn, then express an opinion)
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To: TigersEye

ping


10 posted on 07/07/2008 12:24:12 PM PDT by pandoraou812 (Don't play leapfrog with a unicorn! ...........^............)
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To: Ditter
Nationally (Worldwide), Black Africans have the lowest rates of skin cancer and Australians the highest.

Black Africans usually get skin cancer only on their bottom inside lip and the palms of their hands...both areas are white.

11 posted on 07/07/2008 12:27:06 PM PDT by blam
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To: Coleus

Sun avoidance isn’t the only factor in the epidemic of vitamin D deficiency. Maybe not even the main one. Over this same period, milk consumption has plummeted, and it has long been artificially fortified with vitamin D. This is briefly mentioned on page 8 of the article, and deserves more attention.

Excuses for avoiding milk consumption abound. A large portion of the US black population claims to be “lactose intolerant”, even though what limited research has been done on this subject has found that a majority of those who claim to be lactose intolerant actually aren’t. Still, soda and other soft drinks are used as the chief alternatives to milk by the supposedly lactose intolerant (of all races), and it’s safe to assume they also convert their children to these beverages earlier than other people. And then there’s the bizarre phobia re fat content of foods, which was promoted by both the government and the medical profession for a long time (hard to tell them apart sometimes), which has only recently started to let up. Blue milk is gross, so many people who are convinced they mustn’t drink milk with natural fat content just don’t drink milk at all. If the adults don’t have real milk around the house for their own consumption, they’re also less likely to have it handy for the young children. Plus the always-on-the-run lifestyle that has reached epidemic proportions, lends itself to carrying around sodas and juices and bottled water, but not milk which quickly goes bad without refrigeration. And then there’s the vegan fad . . . don’t even get me started on that one.


12 posted on 07/07/2008 12:31:40 PM PDT by GovernmentShrinker
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To: Coleus

I’m going to let you tell the Imuses that it wasn’t George Bush injecting little kids with mercury based vaccines. That was their theory.


13 posted on 07/07/2008 12:38:26 PM PDT by McGruff (This is not the [insert name here] I knew.)
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To: devane617
“30 minutes of sun exposure for a person with fair to medium complexion will produce 15000 IU of D.”

NOT TRUE. One hour to 1-1/2 hours at mid-day on an uncovered body will produce about 1000-1500 IU.

14 posted on 07/07/2008 1:06:49 PM PDT by ROLF of the HILL COUNTRY ( The Constitution needs No interpreting, only APPLICATION!)
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To: ROLF of the HILL COUNTRY

I am probably wrong. I remember reading an article on CNN (barf) a couple of months ago detailing sun exposure and how much Vit D is made. I will try to search it out in a while.


15 posted on 07/07/2008 1:18:39 PM PDT by devane617 (we are so screwed)
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To: ROLF of the HILL COUNTRY
ROLF, Here is a link to a CNN story with the info I quoted:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/diet.fitness/05/20/cl.vitamin.d/index.html
"1,000 IU per day --is still a small dose," Willett says. (Consider this: A fair-skinned person can manufacture 15,000 IU or more of vitamin D in as little as 30 minutes of optimal sun exposure.) "
16 posted on 07/07/2008 1:25:20 PM PDT by devane617 (we are so screwed)
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To: devane617

Well, considering that it’s from a MSM site where EVERYTHING gets garbled by idiotic journalists, I would say that they’ve dropped an hour and got stuck on the zero key.

My info came straight from my endocrinologist; I trust the source more.


17 posted on 07/07/2008 1:34:42 PM PDT by ROLF of the HILL COUNTRY ( The Constitution needs No interpreting, only APPLICATION!)
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To: 3AngelaD
that's why most doctors suggest vitamin supplementation rather than exposure. epidemiological studies started the vitamin d research as they found that people who live closer to the equator have less: prostate and breast cancer and less autoimmune diseases such as: lupus and MS.
18 posted on 07/07/2008 1:41:38 PM PDT by Coleus (Abortion and Physician-assisted Murder (aka-Euthanasia), Don't Democrats just kill ya?)
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To: Soliton

I have an autistic son and a wife who spent her pregnancy by a pool in Clearwater Florida. >>

did your wife use sunblock, how much vitamin d was in the pre-natal vitamins, how many vaccines did your son have, how much mercury was in the vaccines, was your son’s vitamin-d level ever checked after 1 yr. of age, did the article say that vitamin d was the only solution, the only preventable way to avoid autism? I don’t think so.


19 posted on 07/07/2008 1:45:29 PM PDT by Coleus (Abortion and Physician-assisted Murder (aka-Euthanasia), Don't Democrats just kill ya?)
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To: Coleus
My wife took prenatal vitamins and did away with caffeine, artificial sweeteners and alcohol during her pregnancy. She was brown as a pecan when my son was born.
20 posted on 07/07/2008 3:13:24 PM PDT by Soliton (Investigate, study, learn, then express an opinion)
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