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Amish People Aren’t Autistic Because They Aren’t Vaccinated?

3 Dec

I remember when I was a kid, how important science was in education, and we understood that the scientific method helped us to understand and explain phenomena. If it was backed up by enough evidence, it became a scientific law, such as the law of gravity, though even scientific laws can be “broken.”

People are understandably upset about autism, especially since no one is able to figure out what causes it. So we look for patterns and try to piece it together. This is an anecdotal article about Amish people that claims that only three Amish children were ever vaccinated, and of those, two of them developed autism. I understand the strong desire to explain things, and when things are unexplained, then people want to develop conspiracy theories, but the truth of the matter is without any actual documented data to back it up, you can’t make any conclusions about the Amish as a people and their apparent (at least in this article) lack of autism.

I am posting about this because I am passionate about science and understanding why things work, and every form of research I’ve read indicates there is no connection between vaccinations and autism. I know that there is a similar thought about going gluten-free to reduce the effects of autism, yet there is no science to back that up, either.

I hope that people don’t stop vaccinating their kids because we have already seen the resurgence of whooping cough as a result of this practice. I would hate to see polio and other diseases come back, out of fear that these vaccines allegedly cause autism.

Nutrition and Alzheimer’s Disease

12 Apr

I just read a sad story about a 31 year old Rebecca Doig from Australia who gave birth last week to a baby and already has forgotten the experience, due to her rare form of aggressive, early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Doig appears to be the youngest person to suffer from this tragic disease which robs the patient’s brain of memories and bodily functions over time, due to microbiological actions of brain cells which are not yet wholly understood.

Researchers have gotten closer to determining certain genes that may determine who develops Alzheimer’s, which is still considered uncurable.

Alzheimer’s disease affects 10% of adults by the age of 65 and 30% over the age of 85%, which is a substantial amount of adults. There seem to be several factors involved with the development of this disease, and some of them seem to be nutrition-related.

One aspect of Alzheimer’s involves free-radicals and the way they interact with beta-amyloids, which are clumps of protein in the brain tissue. Free-radicals seem to aid beta-amyloids with clumping faster than they would naturally, which is seen as a key component to a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s.

Certain minerals are shown to trigger free-radical attacks, which include iron, copper, zinc, and aluminum, however it’s difficult to know how consumption of these minerals may precipitate or worsen Alzheimer’s disease.

Some enzyme processes, such as those involving the decreased production of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from choline and acetyl CoA may eventually be found to have a relationship with nutrition, however at this point, supplementing with choline-rich supplements does not affect the outcome.

A relationship with cardiovascular disease risk factors and increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease has been found in some cases, indicating making healthy changes in diet and exercise may lower risk of both conditions.

Ensuring a person with Alzheimer’s continues to eat a healthy diet, despite challenges they may have remembering to eat and what is nutritious will benefit the person the most through the course of their disease.

Supervised meals and planned eating times are beneficial, as are steps to make the food more appealing and easy to consume, such as picking the person’s favorite foods and making sure they are presented in small bites. Serving meals with limited distractions such as music and television will also make feeding and Alzheimer patient more productive.

Research, support, and good nutrition all work together toward improving the life of a patient with Alzheimer’s. If you caretake someone with Alzheimer’s, it’s worth taking the time to provide nutritious meals to help them feel healthy and maintain their comfort.

Low Carb or Low Fat May Be In Your Genes

9 Mar

GeneNutritional trends in general focus on weight loss, though some are aimed at treating various health conditions, particularly diabetes, cardiac disease, and cancer. As all three of these conditions have some relationship to dietary fat intake and obesity, there has been historically a great push for diets to address fat intake, particularly its reduction.

However, in the last decade, focus has shifted from low-fat diets for weight loss to so-called “low-carb” diets such at Atkins, where people reduce their carbohydrate intake drastically but are still allowed to eat as much fat and protein as they want. Some diets, such as The Zone Diet or South Beach Diet work on similar concepts but take a more moderate approach by allowing more carbohydrates and limiting amount or type of fat consumed.

While both low-fat and low-carb diets have been controversial and considered at various times to be fad diets, there appears to be some science backing up how successful each type is, dependent on people’s genes. In the recently published Reuters article, “New gene test may help you pick your diet: report,” a study has found that there are three genetic mutations that may explain why some people lose more weight on a lower carbohydrate diet, a lower fat diet, or why some may best succeed on a balanced diet. It is not clear yet why this would be the case, however the results of the 140 participant study that lasted for a year indicated a significant rise in weight loss when the person’s gene mutation matched the particular type of diet they were on, as opposed to a drop when the person was on the diet that was not associated with their particular genetic mutation. If matched appropriately, people lost an average of 5.3% of their body weight, versus an average of 2.3% when on the wrong type for their genetic makeup.

Other health indicators had a positive relationship with the various diets which were associated as best with each mutation variation. For example, cholesterol levels improved with the appropriately matched diets, which is a positive change for people with both diabetes and atherosclerosis.

Results found that the first group of people with a particular gene mutation absorbed more fat from their food, making them less likely to lose weight on a higher fat/lower carbohydrate diet. However the second group of people was associated with the gene mutation that had a positive relationship with affecting insulin response, indicating that diets higher in carbohydrates and sugars stimulated more energy stored as fat in this group of participants. The third group of people had both mutations (10-16%) and therefore will have to be careful of their consumption of both carbohydrates and fats in order to maintain a healthy weight.

What’s exciting about this information is that it validates the idea that there is no dietary “one size fits all” strategy for weight loss, and that if people are able to take a test to find out which genetic mutation they have, they could design their diet to attain a more healthy weight, thereby reducing risk of these diseases which are associated with being overweight or obese. While this does not suggest a dietary cure for these conditions, this could lead to our ability to fight the likelihood of developing these conditions in the first place, through proper nutrition and less pharmacological intervention.

I am personally very interested in this subject as I have discovered over the last ten years of my life that my body responds very well to a high protein and fat diet but not so well with a high carbohydrate and low fat diet. In fact, due to my nutrition studies, I have implemented a diet where I am eating more complex carbohydrates as well as fruit, which I generally avoid, and have found that changing from whole milk dairy products and liberal consumption of cheese to mostly whole grain snacks, low-to non-fat dairy products, and three to four servings of fruit a day, even with a lower overall caloric count, I have gained between five and ten pounds over the last three months. In the past I have gained weight as I consumed more grains and sugars, and lost them as I discovered I have a food intolerance to gluten and corn and reduced my overall carbohydrate consumption as a result.

I would like to take this gene test just to find out how I fit in this study. However, I believe it’s most important to learn from how your body responds by paying attention, and that is information I will definitely continue to consider as I work with people in the future on developing diets that suit them the best.

Peanut Allergy: More Than A Hill of Beans

22 Feb

It’s hard to know if it’s the prevalence of food allergies that’s on the rise, or if it’s the increased awareness of this previously under-diagnosed problem. However, one of the most deadly food allergies, peanut allergy, has seemed to become increasingly common in just the last 20 years.

The reason for this seems fairly inexplicable – I, myself, didn’t know a single person when I was in school (70′s through the 80′s) who had an allergy to peanuts. And yet now, cafeterias, classrooms, airplanes, even designated sections in ballparks, are all peanut-free, due to the extreme nature of this allergy, which affects approximately 2% of people.

Most are children, and even the little bit of peanut that gets airborne is enough to cause a reaction that involves closing the throat and windpipe of the affected. People with peanut allergy are likely to need immediate medical attention even if they are exposed by eating at the same table as someone else who has a peanut butter sandwich.

How did this happen? Is it something about how peanuts are grown? Is it something to do with a combination of peanuts and pesticides? Do organically grown peanuts cause the same reaction? Why has this reaction skyrocketed in the last two decades?

There is news today that researchers in England may be on the trail of what happens to those who suffer this allergy, and they are preparing the largest trial to date of children, ages 10 through 17, to see if the cause can be determined. It is hoped, that the results of the study will help researchers find a cure in about three years’ time.

Peanuts are an incredibly nutritious food, a part of the legume family, providing good unsaturated oils, proteins, and fiber as well as various minerals. I’m hoping they are able to find a cure to this allergy, because that gives me hope for those who currently suffer issues related to this allergy, plus hope for answers and cures for the many other food allergies out there.

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