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Obesity in Pregnant Women May Forecast Autism in Children
New Research Published in the journal Pediatrics, and reported in the Wall Street Journal 04-08-12 by Shirley Wang reveals:
The obesity epidemic may be contributing to the rising number of children diagnosed with autism, according to a study published Monday.
Researchers said mothers who are obese are significantly more likely to have a child with autism or another developmental abnormality. The finding adds to the increasingly complex picture of possible factors that contribute to the disorders.
About half the risk of autism, a condition characterized by poor social skills and repetitive behaviors, is genetic, researchers believe, while the rest stems from factors including older parental age, premature birth or failure to take prenatal vitamins.
The new findings come in the wake of the announcement last month by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that autism-spectrum disorders, as the range of abnormalities is now called, affect one in 88 U.S. children, up from one in 110 in a 2009 report.
The link between obesity and developmental disorders is particularly worrisome because obesity has become so prevalent. About a third of U.S. women of reproductive age are considered obese, the authors said.
Dr. Wilson replies: As a primary care physician with an interest in Neuroscience, long ago it became apparent to me why obesity and insulin resistance leads to autism and other brain disorders.
Recent research has shown that excessive fructose mainly from sugar and HFCS is the driving force behind insulin resistance. When a person with insulin resistance consumes high glycemic carbohydrates, their brain is exposed to magnified glucose spikes. Over time these glucose spikes trigger a chronic brain disorder with symptoms reflecting low levels of dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin. At this stage people are often diagnosed with depression, ADHD, anxiety disorders, PTSD, eating disorders, bipolar II, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia and similar conditions.
We now call this disease Carbohydrate Associated Reversible Brain syndrome or CARB syndrome. Because the brain plays a role in auto-regulating fat stores, people with CARB syndrome store extra fat at any caloric intake.
When pregnant women have CARB syndrome the fetal brain is exposed to magnified glucose spikes, triggering CARB syndrome. The disease goes into remission when they consume breast milk or formula. When they are introduced to foods with sugar, HFCS and high glycemic carbohydrates, the disease resurfaces as autism.