July 17, 2017 - New Study Finds Exposure to Toxic Heavy Metals and Trace Mineral Deficiencies Linked to Autism

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ShareMonday, July 17, 2017 - A new study by researchers from The Senator Frank R. Lautenberg Environmental Health Sciences Laboratory and The Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai, proves that in addition to a genetic element, exposure to certain heavy metal toxins, as well as impaired uptake of some essential minerals during late pregnancy and in the early postnatal period, are also triggers for the disorder.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), which causes serious behavioral, social and communication issues, now affects one in 68 children — an increase of 1,000 percent since 1990.

Researchers gathered evidence from baby teeth. Just as trees have individual rings for each year of life, baby teeth form new layers each week or so in the womb and in early childhood. Each layer provides an indelible record of what micro chemicals a fetus or child was exposed to at a specific age. The research team used lasers to study the layers and determine how children had been affected by varying levels of exposure to toxic elements like lead, as well as the essential elements manganese and zinc.

About six percent of all children under the age of five have toxic levels of lead in their blood. Children are particularly susceptible to the effects of lead because their nervous systems are still developing.

Manganese is a trace element and essential mineral which is needed for healthy bone, cartilage, nerve and skin development. It also plays an important role in the body’s synthesis of cholesterol and fatty acids. Zinc is an important trace mineral which is essential for the proper functioning of the immune system.

Comparing the levels of these minerals (some toxic and some essential) in twins found significant divergences in metal uptake between ASD-affected children and their healthy siblings, but only during discrete developmental periods. The siblings with ASD had higher uptake of the neurotoxin lead, and reduced uptake of the essential elements manganese and zinc, during late pregnancy and the first few months after birth. Furthermore, metal levels at three months after birth were shown to be predictive of the severity of ASD eight to ten years later in life.

This study is important because it once again reaffirms the probable link between the high levels of heavy metals in vaccines and the occurrence of autism in vaccine recipients.

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