Ray of hope

Dear Reader, The shocking rise in the number of children diagnosed with autism in this country is abig concern of mine. I treat many children with this condition--usually quite successfully--through diet and nutritional supplementation. And I've seen many diagnoses reversed, and children removed from the spectrum, even when parents were told there was no hope for them. Today, I'd like to share the results of a couple of new studies on this urgent topic. First up, recent research shows that children and teens living in states with higher levels of ultraviolet B (UVB) exposure are less likely to develop autism than children living in states with lower levels of UVB exposure. And not just a little less likely, either. This study found that children who enjoy higher solar UVB exposure in the summer or autumn months receive autism diagnoses at half the rate of their low-UVB counterparts. Summer and autumn are really the only times of year when our bodies can actively make adequate vitamin D through exposure to the sun. Oh, and that sun exposure has to be without sunscreen. Just 20 minutes per day is enough--but that is 20 minutes per day during which most of your body must be exposed. That's pretty much the only way we can get enough of this critical vitamin, other than through supplementation. Yes, vitamin D is in a few foods. But taking vitamin D in pill form is probably the only way most of us will be able to maintain levels significant enough to help ward off disease--especially in the winter. How far north you live is a good indication of typical vitamin D production in the winter months. In fact, there is now an autism map, which appeared in the Los Angeles Times in December 2011. This map showed that 2010 autism rates were highest in the Northeast and on the West Coast and lowest in the Southern and Plains states. (Not unlike current cancer trends.) And according to this latest study, the risk appears to be especially high for black Northerners. Compared to white Americans, autism rates were 40 percent higher among African Americans living in states with the lowest UVB exposure. And their vitamin D levels were roughly 40 percent lower, too. Of course, we already know that it's more difficult for African Americans to get adequate vitamin D from exposure to sunlight. But this study exposes a remarkable difference, which comes at a great deal of risk to this ethnic group. It also underscores the vital importance of vitamin D supplementation for anyonetrying to conceive. This study doesn't prove a link between infant vitamin D status and autism. But the study authors think that these trends are enough to suggest that D deficiency during pregnancy may be a key risk factor. So if you or someone you know is attempting to get pregnant, it appears that 40 ng/mL is the magic number. Get your levels tested. And if you're not already supplementing with D3--at least 2,000 IU per day--start now.