2013-11-13

Breaking News on the Prevention of Autism (Really)

Breaking News on the Prevention of Autism (Really):
Folic Acid in the First Days of Pregnancy

I have been honored to be working with Dr. Irva Hertz-Picciotto of the University of California at Davis, who is widely regarded as the world's leading expert on the epidemiology of autism.   She has very recently informed me of some very exciting news, news that for the first time opens the door to possibly preventing autism.

Many of you may recall that I met Dr. Hertz-Picciotto roughly 2 years ago in preparation for leading a roundtable on finding the reversible causes of autism convened and hosted by Senator Sherrod Brown in the US Senate Meeting Rooms.

The exciting news is the result of years of work on the part of Dr. Hertz-Picciotto and her team in the MARBLES study (Markers of Autism Risk in Babies).   Her colleague Dr. Rebecca Schmidt has just reported that mothers who take sufficient folic acid in the days prior to and just after conception have sharp reduction in their risk of their babies developing autism.   This is how dramatic the news is:  if your folic acid levels are high enough, your baby's risk of developing autism drops FIVE-FOLD.  This is very dramatic news.

The impact is supported by other studies, so it is a replicated result, making it unlikely to be disproven with further studies.

How much is enough?   When do you have to take it to get the protection?  These are key questions.

How much is enough? 
The actual answer is only determined by testing a blood level of folic acid, but Dr. Schmidt states that for nearly everyone, taking 800 micrograms a day will get you to the levels needed to see a five-fold reduction in the chance your child will develop autism.

When do you have to take it to get the protection?
The protection works best the earlier in pregnancy that it is taken.   After one month of pregnancy, the protective effect already weakens.  This means for best protection, your folic acid levels should be at the protective level before conception.  We recommend that all girls and women take 800 mcg of folic acid a day from their first period to their last.  That way, whenever pregnancy occurs, the protective effect of folic acid will be in place for the first days of embryonic development, the key time the protection is necessary.   If this routine cannot be sustained, then it is critical that the folic acid be taken the whole period of your life when you think you may be having a baby.

How certain is this finding to work?
At this point it is highly likely to work.  The last step in proof is for the population to take 800 mcg before every pregnancy and then see if autism does drop five-fold as anticipated.

Bottom Line:
Good evidence is now in hand to strongly suggest that if you take 800 mcg of folic acid every day the month before and then throughout pregnancy, your child will drop their risk of developing autism quite substantially, perhaps as much as five-fold.





*Disclaimer* The comments contained in this electronic source of information do not constitute and are not designed to imply that they constitute any form of individual medical advice. The information provided is purely for informational purposes only and not relevant to any person's particular medical condition or situation. If you have any medical concerns about yourself or your family please contact your physician immediately. In order to provide our patients the best uninfluenced information that science has to offer,we do not accept samples of drugs, advertising tchotchkes, money, food, or any item from outside vendors.

2013-11-08

Beware the Untested Drug

Herbal Supplements may not Have Herbal Supplements in Them

This week, the New York Times reported one of the most interesting health articles:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/05/science/herbal-supplements-are-often-not-what-they-seem.html?src=me&_r=0

Someone took 44 bottles of various herbal supplements and analyzed the DNA in the herbal supplement in each bottle.

In one-third of all the bottles tested, the DNA revealed there was no herb present that the label promised would be in the bottle.

For example, one bottle of echinacea, had no echinacea in it, only rice.  Rice was a common substitute, as were various weeds, and even plants that could cause harm.   Bottles with no herbal remedy in them included bottles of ginko balboa.

In our view, herbal supplements should be held to the same standard as any drug, namely:
1.  Does it work?
2.  Is it safe?

For us the answer has to be yes to #1 for sure, and it has to be safe enough to justify use if it works.

Herbal supplements have been given a pass on both questions, very few have been tested to see if they work, and often when they are tested they are found to be powerless.

The price paid for pretending is now upon us.   In this study, 1/3 of the herbal supplements were frank frauds, the worse type of scams- the label promises you are buying one thing, but the truth is you are buying powdered rice or lawn weeds that have no relation to the herb you seek.


BOTTOM LINE
Herbal supplements were recently tested using DNA analysis proving that in 1/3 of the samples, there was no trace of the herb promised on the label.

This is yet more reason to value actual proof that something works before believing it works.

It turns out it is very hard to find substances that reliably can end a problem.

Dr. Lavin





*Disclaimer* The comments contained in this electronic source of information do not constitute and are not designed to imply that they constitute any form of individual medical advice. The information provided is purely for informational purposes only and not relevant to any person's particular medical condition or situation. If you have any medical concerns about yourself or your family please contact your physician immediately. In order to provide our patients the best uninfluenced information that science has to offer,we do not accept samples of drugs, advertising tchotchkes, money, food, or any item from outside vendors.