Autism spectrum disorder and diet

Every year, April 2 is observed as World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD), an event to raise public awareness about autism as well as highlight the needs to help and improve the lives of those affected by the developmental disorder. This year’s WAAD is focusing on leveraging the use of assistive technologies for persons with autism.

First discovered in the 1940s, autism is a serious disorder wherein a child has difficulty in communicating and his social skills are impaired. It is called Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as the signs can be varied based on the severity of the condition. Indicators may appear by age of 2-3 years.
Experts say that early intervention can help improve communication skills and help in brain development so that the child can have a near-normal life later as an adult. Perhaps, there is convincing empirical evidence that dietary intervention can help many with autism.

Symptoms and causes of autism spectrum disorder

Few signs that a child might be autistic are - lack of eye contact, poor facial expressions, resists cuddling or holding, shows repetitive behaviour, doesn’t respond when his name is called out, is not able to express his feelings or understand other persons feeling, etc.

The exact cause of autism is not very clear as it may be associated with environmental and genetic factors - ranging from exposure to few drugs during pregnancy to genetic mutation.

Diet and Autism: What parents need to know

Children with autism may have a sensitive gut, inflammation, poor digestion, malabsorption, etc. It has been observed that children with autism have high peptide levels in the blood as compared to children without the disorder.

Generally, a gluten- and casein-free diet (GFCF) is highly recommended for people with autism, said a Nutritionist- Lifestyle and Weight Management Expert. Gluten-free means avoiding grains like wheat, oats, barley and their products in the diet. Instead, parents can give quinoa, rye, potato flour, rice, tapioca, etc. One can also make paratha, chelas, pancakes, porridge, pulav, dosa, etc out of these flours. You may also use them as a binding agent to make a patty out of vegetables.

A casein-free diet is a diet free of dairy products like milk, curd, cheese, drinks which are milk-based or supplements which have milk powder in them. The advice here is to read the label before giving anything to the child or better still cook and prepare food from scratch at home.

Another option is to substitute milk with almond milk, coconut milk, rice milk, etc. Packed milk contains carrageenans which can lead to inflammation, hence, one should try to prepare at home. There is clear advice of not using soya milk or products as soya is genetically modified and commonly have cross contamination. Also, parents need to avoid saturated fats and sugars as well apart from gluten and casein. Here are a few important diet tips for parents to follow.

1. Be careful about cross contamination - e.g. using the same knife or spoon between GFCF and normal diet.
2. Do not stock your kitchen with gluten-free products as most of them will be high in sugar. Honey can be a good substitute but that too in limited quantities.
3. Let the child have as much as he wants to eat as long as it is within the allowed category.
4. If possible, the whole family should turn to the same diet as it is easier to follow and avoid contamination.
5. Avoid additives, colour, preservatives, hormones, etc in food.
6. Food should be nutrient-dense as the child’s nutritive needs are higher than the counterpart.

It has been seen that if we eliminate grains and milk, there will be obvious nutritional deficiencies in children who are already poor eaters. So here the task is to give enough options and variety to the child with the main focus on fresh fruits and vegetables.

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Why Zika virus causes microcephaly

Chinese researchers said that they might have solved the mystery of why the Zika virus causes microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems in babies.

In a study, a team reported that one single genetic change, likely acquired in 2013, gave the mosquito-borne virus the ability to cause severe fetal microcephaly. 

"Our findings offer a reasonable explanation for the unexpected causal link of Zika to microcephaly, and will help understand how Zika evolved from an innocuous mosquito-borne virus into a congenital pathogen with global impact," he said.

Zika was first identified in 1947 in Uganda, and until its recent emergence in the Americas, was a little known one that sporadically causes mild infections, it was reported.

Then, it rapidly swept through South and Central America in 2015, and due to its link to congenital brain abnormalities, especially microcephaly during pregnancy, the World Health Organisation declared in early 2016 the current epidemics a public health emergency of international concern.
However, scientists remain unable to determine why the virus evolved into a pathogen triggering severe neurological syndromes.

By comparing contemporary Zika virus strains from the 2015 and 2016 South American epidemics with an ancestral Cambodian virus that was circulating in 2010, researchers found one critical mutation that conferred the ability to cause microcephaly in mouse models of fetal infection.
That one change, S139N, which replaced a serine amino acid with an asparagine at the 139th position of a Zika protein called prM, also made the virus more lethal to human neuron precursor cells in culture compared with the ancestral form.

Zika accumulated numerous changes throughout its genome between 2010 and 2016, of which S139N caused substantially more severe microcephaly and embryonic lethality in mouse models.
Evolutionary analyses revealed that the S139N change likely arose sometime around 2013, which coincided with initial reports of microcephaly.

It was then stably maintained during subsequent spread to the US.

"The discovery should provide guidance for the study of pathogenetic mechanisms of the Zika virus and for the development of vaccines and treatments," he said.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                         FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                  https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/           

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Fathers-to-be who smoke may harm their babies

Fathers-to-be, take note! Smoking may increase the baby's risk of developing congenital heart defects―the leading cause of stillbirth, a study has found.

Congenital heart affect eight in 1,000 babies born worldwide. Prognosis and quality of life continues to improve with innovative surgeries, but the effects are still lifelong.

The findings suggest that fathers-to-be should quit smoking.

“Fathers are a large source of second hand smoke for pregnant women, which appears to be even more harmful to unborn children than women smoking themselves,” said a researcher.

“Smoking is teratogenic, meaning it can cause developmental malformations. The association between prospective parents smoking and the risk of congenital heart defects has attracted more and more attention with the increasing number of smokers of childbearing age,” he said.

All types of parental smoking were associated with the risk of congenital heart defects, with an increase of 74 per cent for men smoking, 124 per cent for passive smoking in women, and 25 per cent for women smoking, compared to no smoking exposure.

This was also the first review to examine smoking at different stages of pregnancy and risk of congenital heart defects.

Women's exposure to secondhand smoke was risky for their offspring during all stages of pregnancy and even prior to becoming pregnant. Women who smoked during pregnancy had a raised likelihood of bearing a child with a congenital heart defect, but smoking before pregnancy did not affect risk.

“Women should stop smoking before trying to become pregnant to ensure they are smoke-free when they conceive,” he said.

“Staying away from people who are smoking is also important. Employers can help by ensuring that workplaces are smoke-free,” he said.

“Doctors and primary healthcare professionals need to do more to publicise and educate prospective parents about the potential hazards of smoking for their unborn child,” he said.

Regarding specific types of congenital heart defects, the analysis showed that maternal smoking was significantly associated with a 27 per cent greater risk of atrial septal defect and a 43 per cent greater risk of right ventricular outflow tract obstruction compared to no smoking.

The overall risk of congenital heart defects with all types of parental smoking was greater when the analysis was restricted to Asian populations.

According to researchers, this was the first meta-analysis to examine the relationships between paternal smoking and maternal passive smoking and risk of congenital heart defects in offspring.
Previous analyses have focused on women smokers.

“In fact, smoking in fathers-to-be and exposure to passive smoking in pregnant women are more common than smoking in pregnant women,” he said.

The researchers compiled the best available evidence up to June 2018. This amounted to 125 studies involving 1,37,574 babies with congenital heart defects and 8.8 million prospective parents.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                         FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                  https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/           

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Second-Hand Plastic Toys Contain Toxic Elements That May Harm Your Child

Findings of a new study have revealed that plastic used in some second-hand toys may pose health hazards to children and does not meet safety guidelines.

Toxic Elements In Second-Hand Toys

In a new study published,  researchers tested 200 used plastic toys in thrift shops, nurseries, and homes for hazardous elements.

Using X-ray fluorescence technology to analyze these toys, which include trains, cars, figures, and puzzles, the researcher found that 20 of about 200 second-hand plastic toys tested had traces of nine elements, which include barium, bromine, cadmium, chromium, antimony, lead, and selenium. Some had concentrations that are too high to meet safety standards.

Potential Health Effects On Children

The elements can be chronically toxic if children are exposed to them at low levels over an extended period of time.

Arsenic is a toxin linked to developmental defects, neurotoxicity, skin lesions, cardiovascular conditions, and even cancer. Cadmium is a hormone disruptor associated with breast cancer. 

Exposure to lead can jeopardize the brain and the nervous system.

Children who put these toys in their mouth could be exposed to greater amount of toxins. All the toys tested for the study were small enough to be chewed by children.

"Previously used toys has the potential to create a legacy of chemical contamination for younger children," the researcher said.

The worst offenders were found to be yellow, red, and black plastics. The researcher noted the Lego bricks from the '70s and '80 are among those found to have high levels of toxic chemicals. The researcher said that toys were not tested in those days, but they are handed down.

Consumers Need To Be Aware Of Risks

Second-hand toys make an attractive option for families because they can be handed down by friends or relatives. They are also priced cheaply at charity stores, flea markets, and the internet.

The researcher said that with lack of regulation to cover the resale and recycling of older toys, consumers should at least be aware of the potential harms these toys pose to children.

"While there is no retroactive regulation on second-hand toys, consumers should be aware that old, mouthable, plastic items may present a source of hazardous element exposure to infants," the researcher wrote in his report.

Another potential danger of buying second-hand toy is the possibility of buying items that have been recalled in the past.

"Avoid buying used toys that have no packaging or that are missing some type of label or brand identification, without which it might be difficult or impossible to tell if the toy has been recalled," researcher advised.

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Pregnant women's wine intake could cause pancreatic problems in yet-to-be born kids

A study has warned against use of Resveratrol supplements, which is a plant compound found in the skin of red grapes and in peanuts and berries, among other plants by pregnant women.

The study revealed that a widely available dietary supplement that had been considered safe - and that some claim provides anti-ageing and other health benefits - caused significant developmental abnormalities in the pancreas of offspring of pregnant monkeys who were given the supplement.

The supplement form of the compound has been available in pharmacies and health food stores for years, with claims that it has a wide range of health benefits.

The compound is thought to be an anti-oxidant and an anti-inflammatory, and some animal studies do confirm some benefits. All previous studies had found it to be safe in humans.

Researchers at Oregon Health and Science University's Oregon National Primate Research Center and the University of Colorado-Denver were focusing on some of those potential benefits when they began studying the compound in monkeys.

The research indicated that resveratrol did provide some real benefits in the pregnant monkeys, including improved blood flow through the placenta to the fetus. Placental abnormalities contribute to many of the pregnancy complications and health issues with babies of obese women who eat an unhealthy Western diet.

But the researchers also found an effect that surprised them - resveratrol had a significantly negative effect on the development of the pancreas in the monkey fetus. The pancreas is critical for the body's regulation of blood glucose.

The study has been published in the FASEB Journal.

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