Refined Sugars, Diet and Autism

There is a lot of discussion about refined sugars, and other rapidly absorbed sweets such as corn syrup being unhealthy. They rae associated with increased risk of diabetes.

The glycemic index of a food refers to how fast the sugars in the food get absorbed. Refined sugars get absorbed very rapidly; while most naturally occurring sweeteners are found in foods that have more fiber, and so have a lower glycemic index and are associated with a slower rise in blood sugar. I believe these are much healthier.

Researchers have found that higher levels of inflammatory factors, such as CRP in mothers are associated with autism. Since high glycemic foods can cause elevations of CRP, they looked at  mice that have been bred to simulate autism in humans. They found that a higher glycemic diet was associated with increased activation of autism genes and behavior.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons for the increasing incidence of ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). As more mothers adopt organic diets with less highly processed foods maybe we will see a change!

Barbara Geller, MD Reviewing Currais A et al., Mol Psychiatry 2015 Jun 9