French study: Heavy metals may be implicated in autism

[Guest guest]

If this has been posted before, sorry for the repetition. Most here

will respond with a " duh " I'm sure.

Beti

<URINE samples from hundreds of French children have yielded

evidence for a link between autism and exposure to heavy metals. If

validated, the findings might mean some cases of autism could be

treated with drugs that purge the body of heavy metals.

Samples from children with autism contained abnormally high levels

of a family of proteins called porphyrins, which are precursors in

the production of haem, the oxygen-carrying component in

haemoglobin. Heavy metals block haem production, causing porphyrins

to accumulate in urine. Concentrations of one molecule,

coproporphyrin, were 2.6 times as high in urine from children with

autism as in controls.

Autism is thought to have a number of unknown genetic and

environmental causes. Lathe of Pieta Research in Edinburgh,

UK, says he has found one of these factors. " It's highly likely that

heavy metals are responsible for childhood autistic disorder in a

majority of cases, " he claims. The study will appear in Toxicology

and Applied Pharmacology.

Lathe says these porphyrin metabolites bind to receptors in the

brain and have been linked with epilepsy and autism.

The researchers restored porphyrin concentrations to normal in 12

children by treating them with " chelation " drugs that mop up heavy

metals and are then excreted. It is not yet known whether the

children's symptoms have eased, but Lathe cites anecdotal reports

suggesting the drugs might do some good.

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The study is available online at:

http://filariane.org/anglais/DOC/MSFINAL.pdf

[Guest guest]

we have SIMON BARON COHEN doing just the same thing - on th eback

> cover lest anybody shoudl forget (wink!)

Well that's huge! He's the guy who blames ASD on smart people

marrying, right? What dragged him to our side (or somewhere near it)?

Nell