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AAPI’S NUTRITION GUIDE TO OPTIMAL HEALTH: USING PRINCIPLES OF FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE AND NUTRITIONAL GENOMICS correct nutrient deficiencies, treat gastrointestinal problems, elimination diets, and identify and treat food reactions. Nutritional interventions to help treat autism should be individualized for the child and implemented with the guidance of a Registered Dietitian. 1) REMOVAL OF CERTAIN FOODS AND FOOD ADDITIVES Basic nutrition has become a serious issue for our children over the last twenty years because children’s diets have changed dramatically. The food children eat today is nothing like the food children ate in previous generations. Today, children subsist mainly on foods that are highly processed, lacking in nutrients, and loaded with artificial chemicals, preservatives, Trans fats, sugar, and pesticide residues. The repercussions of this shift toward poor nutrition are serious. We’ve seen a dramatic increase in developmental and neurological disorders in our children. Therefore, the first step in nutritional interventions to treat autism is to transition the child onto a diet that consists of whole, healthy foods and eliminate all unnecessary artificial ingredients. Eliminate Synthetic Food Additives There are twenty-four different types of synthetic food additives found in the foods we eat. We are consuming man-made chemicals with virtually every bite of food and no one really knows what effect they may be having on our immune, respiratory, endocrine, and nervous systems. There is controversy in the medical community about what the short and long-term impact of these chemicals may be on a growing child’s brain and nervous system (2, 3). The autism community is particularly concerned about four of the synthetic food additives: artificial colors, artificial flavors, preservatives, and artificial sweeteners. Artificial colors currently permitted in our foods in the United States (U.S.) include Blue No. 1, Blue No. 2, Green No. 3, Red No. 40, Red No. 3, Yellow No. 5, and Yellow No. 6. There’s a growing body of research that indicates some children are sensitive to these artificial colors and that they aggravate the child’s Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity 114 Disorder (ADHD) symptoms (4). A study published in the November 2007 issue of The Lancet concluded that artificial colors in the diets of children resulted in increased hyperactivity (5). Research also indicates that ingesting artificial colors may result in behavioral changes, such as irritability, restlessness, and sleep disturbance (6). Other research indicates that when ingested, some artificial colors may aggravate the symptoms of hives, eczema, dermatitis, rhinitis, and asthma (7). Removing artificial colors from the diet will help relieve a child’s physical and behavioral symptoms, though the degree to which it will help will depend on the level of his sensitivity to chemicals. Artificial flavors are chemically synthesized compounds added to foods to either imitate or enhance a natural flavor. There are approximately 1,700 artificial flavors approved by the Food Drug Administration (FDA). An artificial flavor of particular concern in the autism community is monosodium glutamate (MSG). MSG is the sodium salt of an amino acid called glutamic acid and the ionized form of glutamate. It’s used commercially as a flavor enhancer and found in many common food products such as canned soups, beef and chicken stocks, flavored potato chips, snack foods, frozen dinners, instant meals with seasoning mixtures, and foods from fast food restaurants. Some fermented products have naturally occurring glutamate, such as soy sauce, steak sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Glutamate may also be present in a variety of other additives such as hydrolyzed vegetable protein, hydrolyzed soy protein, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed yeast, yeast extract, soy extracts, and protein isolate. MSG is ‚generally recognized as safe‛ (GRAS) by the FDA; however, there are health concerns. Glutamic acid is classified as an excitotoxin, and animal studies indicate that ingesting a high level of it causes brain damage (8). While most researchers agree it is unlikely that human adults could ingest enough MSG to create glutamic acid levels high enough to promote neurological damage, there is concern about the unknown long-term neurodegenerative effects of 2012
AAPI’S NUTRITION GUIDE TO OPTIMAL HEALTH: USING PRINCIPLES OF FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE AND NUTRITIONAL GENOMICS small to moderate rises of glutamic acid in our systems over time. Researchers are also concerned about the potential short and long-term effects MSG may have on infants and young children. There appears to be a number of people who are sensitive to MSG and develop acute adverse reactions, such as headache, facial pressure, chest pain, nausea, difficulty breathing, drowsiness, weakness, and aggravation of asthma symptoms. Sensitivity to MSG or other artificial flavors may be causing or exacerbating a physical problem for the child, which in turn may be causing a behavioral problem. Removing artificial flavors from his diet is a critical step toward improving his symptoms. Artificial preservatives are natural or man-made chemicals added to food products to inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungi, inhibit oxidation, and prevent changes in the food’s color, odor, and taste. Research shows that artificial preservatives aggravate ADD and ADHD symptoms in some children (4). The autism community is particularly concerned about the effect that the artificial preservatives butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) may have on children. BHT and BHA are fat-soluble phenol compounds approved by the FDA to be used as an antioxidant food additive. BHT can be found in cereal, chewing gum, and high-fat foods, such as potato chips and shortening. Many countries, such as Japan, Romania, Sweden, and Australia, have banned BHT from use in foods, but the U.S. has not yet followed suit. However, the U.S. has barred it from being used in baby foods. Many food industries have voluntarily eliminated BHT from their foods and replaced it with the preservative BHA, but there also are serious concerns about BHA. After conducting animal studies, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) concluded that it is reasonable to assume that BHA is a human carcinogen (9). Researchers also suspect that people with dysfunctional detoxification systems may have difficulty processing both BHT and BHA (10). Eliminating artificial preservatives, especially BHT and BHA, from the child’s diet may help relieve some of his behavioral symptoms. 115 Artificial sweeteners are man-made compounds that are many times sweeter than sucrose. Their safety and potential for health risks, including cancer, has been a longstanding controversy in the medical community (11). The three most commonly used artificial sweeteners in the U.S. are saccharin, sucralose, and aspartame. Saccharin, the first artificial sweetener created, is 300 to 500 times sweeter than table sugar. Saccharin is FDA approved in the U.S., but some countries allow only a restricted level of use and other countries have banned it completely. Sucralose is a chlorinated sugar that is 600 times sweeter than table sugar. It belongs to a class of chemicals called organochlorides, some of which are highly toxic or carcinogenic. However, many researchers suggest that since sucralose is insoluble in fat, it doesn’t accumulate in fat as do other organochlorides, which reduces its risk of toxicity (11). Aspartame is derived from two amino acids, aspartic acid and phenylalanine, and is 200 times sweeter than table sugar. Headaches and seizures have been reported in relation to aspartame, making its safety a much-debated topic. In the autism community, the focus is on the impact aspartame may have on a child’s brain function (12). Though all of these artificial sweeteners are approved for use by the FDA, there is still much debate surrounding their longterm safety, especially for children who could potentially have decades of continued exposure. It is important to understand that just because a food additive has been approved by the FDA, this does not necessarily mean it is safe for our children. To be cautious, it is suggested to eliminate all artificial sweeteners from the diets of children. Limit Foods that Contain Trans Fat Trans fat is the product of hydrogenation, which is the process by which hydrogen is added to liquid vegetable oil. The fatty acids in the oil then acquire some of the hydrogen, which makes it denser. Typically, the hydrogenation process is only partially completed in order to produce a more malleable fat that is solid at room temperature, but will melt upon baking. Partially hydrogenated fats have replaced natural solid fats 2012
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