It has long been known that males have a greater incidence of autism. But when searching for why that is the case comes up unsatisfying with foxnews.com article saying …
“they aren’t certain why women seem less affected by these genetic mutations, they speculated that it may have to do with the fact that women possess two X chromosomes.”
and time.com article saying…
“What might some of those genetic factors be? It’s possible that they may involve the social bonding hormones, oxytocin and vasopressin. … Or it may involve other metabolic systems that aren’t as obviously connected to social development.”
Neither of these articles explain the underlying mechanism of action and I wasn’t satisfied with their answers.
Then the answer came, and I knew intuitively that it was the right answer, when I read the paper Aluminum and Glyphosate Can Synergistically Induce Pineal Gland Pathology: Connection to Gut Dysbiosis and Neurological Disease by Dr. Stephanie Seneff, et al.
I know, the title gives no clue. But if you read the entire paper, you will find the sentence…
“Males would be more adversely affected by the loss of brain serotonin due to low vitamin D because estrogen also stimulates serotonin expression and can therefore rescue the female brain from deficiency”
Vitamin D deficiency a factor in autism
To fully understand this statement, you have to know that low vitamin D in mother and child is associated with autism. Vitamin D is needed to regulate tryptophan hydroxylases (TPH) in order to synthesis serotonin in the brain. TPH helps convert tryptophan into serotonin.
Serotonin is needed for a healthy brain development. From the paper…
“Experiments in rats have shown that low serotonin during early brain development can lead to fewer dendritic spines and reduced synaptic density, as well as excess cortical brain growth, and these developmental abnormalities are features of autism in humans”
Dr. Mercola writes …
“During the fetal brain development phase, serotonin plays an important role in brain morphogenesis. Simply put, serotonin is an ingredient required for the development of the brain’s shape, structure, and internal wiring. Serotonin basically tells the neurons where to position themselves in the brain, and what type of neurons they should become. If you don’t have sufficient amounts of serotonin, abnormal brain structure and brain wiring will result.”
And you can learn more from his interview of Dr. Rhonda Patrick…
Other paper by other authors confirms that autistic brains have low serotonin in the CSF [reference]
Girls are a bit more fortunate because they have estrogen which helps increases serotonin in the brain. The Autism Research Foundation writes …
“Estrogen stimulates production of nerve growth factors, thereby promoting neuronal growth and viability, repair of damaged neurons, and dendritic branching. At neuronal synapses, estrogen increases the concentration of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.”
And that…
“Autism occurs 4 times more in boys than girls, which tells us that girls have some sort of protective factor against the disorder. Since estrogen is the primary female sex hormone that distinguishes them from males, investigating the role estrogen plays in brain development is of great importance, because estrogen could potentially reverse autism-like symptoms. … Estrogen may boost the number of connections between brain cells, improving communication in the brain: a social trait that is highly challenged in individuals who have autism.”
ScienceDaily writes …
“Serotonin and vitamin D have been proposed to play a role in autism, however, no causal mechanism has been established. Now, researchers show that serotonin, oxytocin, and vasopressin, three brain hormones that affect social behavior related to autism, are all activated by vitamin D hormone. Supplementation with vitamin D and tryptophan would be a practical and affordable solution to help prevent autism and possibly ameliorate some symptoms of the disorder.”
How to Reduce Risk of Autism
That sentence in ScienceDaily is important. So I repeat it here…
“Supplementation with vitamin D and tryptophan would be a practical and affordable solution to help prevent autism and possibly ameliorate some symptoms of the disorder.”
While there are many other causes of autism, this one sounds reasonable. Vitamin D deficiency of the population has increased in lock-step with the increase in autism.
A general web search of how to prevent autism will give you answers such as avoiding toxins, avoiding alcohol, eating healthy, etc. which is all well and good. But a deeper understanding will lead to you optimize vitamin D status and control autoimmunity.
More autistic children are born in the spring when vitamin D status is the lowest in the northern lattitudes. [reference]
If you want to reduce the risk of autism, I would encourage you to read Dr. John Cannell’s book Autism Causes, Prevention & Treatment: Vitamin D Deficiency and the Explosive Rise of Autism Spectrum Disorder