One More Link in the Mercury-High Fructose Corn Syrup Chain: Autism

Until now, parents of children with autism who have spoken up about their fears that their child's disorder came on the heels of vaccination have been given the status of heretic. But it turns out that the increase in autism we have been witnessing over the last few decades could also be a result of the over-all increase in the body burden caused by mercury in our air and water, and by proxy the fish we eat, our vaccines and dental fillings, and now, in our high fructose corn syrup, a substance marketed and consumed most often by those most at risk: children.

It is a matter of record that our fish populations are accumulating mercury; and as the top of their food chain, we too are accumulating the toxin. The neurological effects of mercury have been widely documented. On the EPA's website, for example, it lists the primary health effect of methylmercury on fetuses, infants, and children, as being impaired neurological development.

In 2004, a study [PDF] led by Raymond F. Palmer of the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio compared the rate of special education programs in Texas and the amount of mercury found in the environment and the results were alarming: "On average, for each 1000 lb of environmental mercury released, there was a 43% increase in the rate of special education services and a 61% increase in the rate of autism."

He co-authored a second study [PDF] from February 2008 that took into account the proximity to sources of mercury output -- like coal-fired utility plants, which account for 33% of the 158 tons of mercury spewed into the atmosphere annually, municipal/medical incinerators, which account for 29%, commercial/industrial boilers, which account for 18%. Lower on the list but still noteworthy are hazardous waste sites, cement factories, and the chlorine production plants -- which is where the caustic soda tainted with mercury in HFCS is being produced. This second study found that "for every 10 miles from industrial or power plant sources, there was an associated decreased autism Incident Risk of 2.0% and 1.4%, respectively." In other words, the more mercury in the environment of a child or woman of childbearing age, the more likely for the child to develop autism.

The reason that the news on Monday that HFCS contains mercury is so alarming is two fold: First, the FDA had evidence of this in 2005 and did absolutely nothing -- no testing, no warning the companies using the tainted HFCS to produces their ketchup, chocolate syrup, cereal bars and soda. Therefore, more time has passed when mercury could bio-accumulate in our bodies, especially in populations at already at risk for heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Second, there has been a previous association made between diet and autistic functionality -- and specifically HFCS has been singled out as a cause for worsening the disorder. This means that there has been a growing body of evidence relating mercury to autism for some time, in which HFCS is only a new development.

This is dark news, because it means that our FDA is no longer working for us, and that in this time when we might have a receptive ear in Washington, it is more important than ever to challenge the preconceived notions of how government works. This could amount to one of the worst offenses by our government, which has been sitting on the evidence of mercury's relationship to our health for too long in the name of corporate welfare.

The parents of autistic children should be given more of a voice in this discussion. In an article published on Salon.com in 2005, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. laid out the details on the correlation between autism and childhood vaccines. It became clear to him that the parents of autistic children who blamed the vaccines for their child's disorder were onto something when he stumbled onto a report from a conference in 2000 called Simpsonwood, where high-level officials from the FDA and Center for Disease Control (CDC), the top vaccine specialist from the World Health Organization in Geneva, and representatives of every major vaccine manufacturer, including GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Wyeth and Aventis Pasteur gathered to discuss a new study that linked a mercury-based preservative in vaccines to increasing rates of autism. This group, instead of changing course, and giving value to the science before them, proceeded to cover up the data to save the vaccine companies' bottom line.

Now, we are faced with some hard truth about the consequences of our environmental choices beginning at the Industrial Revolution. While thimerosal, the mercury-laden preservative used in some vaccinations, is being phased out, we should still be asking for a better assessment of our body burden of mercury. With all that we know now, about what toxic pollution in the air and water do to our food and by proxy our bodies, will we face facts and begin the process of real, lasting change that the Obama administration has so far seemed a beacon for? The first step will be taking a hard look at environmental mercury, one of the most prevalent pollutants in our environment. We have a mess on our hands, and we need to begin to repair the damage done before we can move forward healthfully.

Comments

[maggiemom]

Oh I should mention- I too have a son with autism.

PS
so gettin that flu shot while you are nursing like I did because my doc said it would protect my baby from me getting sick- bad idea.

[maggiemom]

My heart just broke when the one mom felt blame for putting her child on formula and then he developed autism- well I breastfed my little boy exclusively and guess what- Mercury in a nursing mother's body acts like magnesium and her body gives mercury a direct highway to her milk. So unless the mom totally eats, lives and absorbs organicly there is mercury in her breast milk. It has never been tested in a large study but breastfed babies get autism as often as formula fed.

[Renee Dufault]

To learn more about mercury in high fructose corn syrup, tune in to Mark Germain's interview with Leslie Hatfield and Renee Dufault on 2/209 at http://talkradioone.com/

[mom2luke]

From Dr. William Sears: (wish I read this before I fed my now autistic son babyformula from day 1 on a combo breast/bottle schedule my pediatrician said "made sense" for a working mother. Damn it.)
"Corn syrup should be avoided...especially infant formulas. It's an artificial sweetener. Since the 1970s, (HFCS) has been the darling of the food industry....with HFCS the food industry has found a way to extract syrup from corn biochemically and then manipulate the percentage of fructose in this syrup...not because of any health benefits, but because it is sweeter and cheaper to produce than cane sugar....

(we believe) that the #1 cause of the childhood obesity epidemic is the overconsumption of HFCS... April 2004 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, (reported) that people who drank beverages containing HFCS gained more weight than people who ate the same number of calories that day but did not consume as much HFCS. Part of the problem is biochemical. When baby ingests normal sugars (in breastmilk, fruits, vegetables, or milk-based infant formulas), these sugars stimulate the brain with signals saying, "You've eaten enough. Stop already!" Fructose, however, does not trigger the satiety signals like glucose does, so it's easier to overeat.
...HFCS is metabolized in the liver differently...undermines appetite control...overconsumption is a real risk. The U.S. is the world's highest consumer of HFCS ...and toward the top in obesity, diabetes II, and cardiovascular disease. Correlation?
HFCS shapes young tastes--in a bad way.

[noo]

I am a little concerned about the certainty and passion behind the argument for a mercury-autism link. I am not challenging the importance of looking into this as an etiology. But I am concerned that being wedded to this theory may keep us from finding and addressing the true answer if it does not end up being mercury.

[maggiemom]

I think it is all toxins metals and excitotoxins as well. Corn syrup contains both.

you are so right- until we know for sure where the storm is coming from we have to keep scanning 360 degrees

[NoSillyName]

Thank you for writing this article. Horrifying disclosure after years of knowing about it. I mentioned this on tpre-term baby/autism thread; glad there's a whole thread about it.

People must read the labels on everything they pick up in the grocery store. Here we thought plain old sugar was bad; now we have this garbage in things that aren't even supposed to be sweet.

Criminal.

[LemonMeringue]

Watch The Future of Food - a video available on the internet. There are many reasons to avoid most corn products, unless they are organically grown. Shocking, really.

[amandastories]

Mercury causes brain damage and so does aluminum. What are these things doing in our foods and in our vaccines? Especially vaccines and baby "formula"!

I wish I'd never vaccinated my "autistic" kid. He has had brain damage from the time he got his DTaP. Thanks, FDA.

[mom2luke]

Nail on the head: Mercury/aluminum in foods/vaccines...Simple question: WHY?!

[maggiemom]

My son was affected by a pediarix DTaP shot as well. Which goes to show the obssesion with the MMr alone may not be healthy. It may not really be the mercury some say- it may be putting so many viruses in one exposure. A pediarix shot is five viruses(and the same day I let them give him a flu shot because I didn't know there was five in the pediarix!)

[nowGo4ward]

Thank you for the information in this article! I have been trying (impossibly it seems) to reduce exposure to Hg and other heavy metals, Al as well, and at least weekly I learn of another source of potential exposure.

If anyone here is knowledgeable about food ingredients and labeling, I would really appreciate information on whether this mercury exposure potentially applies to Corn Syrup (as opposed to High Fructose Corn Syrup) as well. Is this the same product essentially?

Thank you in advance!

[believe it]

Here's an essential food shopping guide for parents. For your children, please read it at least.

http://www.seedsofdeception.com/DocumentFiles/144.pdf
NON-GMO SHOPPING GUIDE
How to avoid foods made with genetically modified organisms (GMOs)


from http://www.responsibletechnology.org/GMFree/Home/index.cfm

[Cynth]

Thanks!

[Cynth]

Thanks -- great article full of good information, as well as raises many more questions, which I hope will be pursued by the scientific and medical community.

[vippy]

I now know that the FDA is not our friend! They should make sure they serve the people and not the
corporations but once again, this is capitalism. They will sell your insides before you are even cold!

[NoSillyName]

The FDA is filled with pawns of industry. Pharmaceutical and food production, not out for our good.

[euthman]

First of all, the study that made the news early this week did not show that HFCS contained mercury. The investigators simply measured mercury levels in foodstuffs that include HFCS as one of many ingredients. They did not bother to compare those mercury levels with foodstuffs that don't contain HFCS. It's even possible that foods with HFCS have _less_ mercury. We simply don't know.

Second, the 2004 and 2008 Palmer studies are deeply flawed. There's not enough space here to list all the problems with them, but there is a detailed treatment by David Gorski, MD PhD, in the Science-Based Medicine blog:
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=111

Ed Uthman, MD
Pathologist, Houston, Texas, USA
http://web2.airmail.net/uthman

[baseballmom]

Thank you. There are far too many non-scientists spreading too many non-scientific theories here.

[Cockroachcatcher]

The preserving property of HFCS is due to the mercury. So if they do not use mercury grade chemical, things will start to rot again.


The Cockroach Catcher

[euthman]

What is the source of your info? It makes no sense. The levels of mercury reported in the study are way too low to have any antibacterial effect.

[KillTheMessenger]

I take it you have a degree in chemistry?

[Chaimirija]

I do...have you any questions?

[Cynth]

If this is so simple, why doesn't everything that's sweetened contain HFCS for its preservative properties?

[Fabini]

So this is the reason for all the High Fructose Corn Syrup commercials I'm seeing on TV. I wondered what prompted the sweeting industry to air them. Now I know. Thank you.

So when someone asks, "You know what they say about HFCS?" You can reply, "Yes I do!"

[KillTheMessenger]

"So this is the reason for all the High Fructose Corn Syrup commercials I'm seeing on TV."

Not really. They are just trying to increase their market. It's totally nonsensical, of course, because people who know about HFCS will not start buying more food that contains it, but some people who were not aware of it, will be now.

[Kim Stagliano - Huffpost Blogger]

Food morphed into a chemical laden cocktail many years ago. Stay OUT of the aisles in your grocery store. Shop the perimeter. Children do not need neon green breakfast foods, blue lunches and purple dinners.

Our kids have become guinea pigs ffor "food" companies. It's insane how much HFCS, artificial color (those called "lakes" are made with metals by the way) artificial flavor, hydrogenated fats, trans fats and artificial sweeteners go into kids. And what has happened to American children? Fatter than ever. Chronically sicker than any generation.

Kim

[euthman]

Kim, I agree that American kids today suffer a higher prevalence of obesity and diabetes than those thirty years ago. I have noticed that there are a lot more kids playing soccer these days than thirty years ago. By your reasoning, we can add soccer to the list of health hazards our kids face.

Correlation does not imply causation. I suspect the cause for decline in kids' health is complex. I suspect high carbs and lack of exercise are more behind the obesity/diabetes epidemic than food coloring and artificial sweeteners.

[mom2luke]

Oh stop being insulting, Euthman:( i.e., "By your reasoning, we can add soccer to the list of health hazards our kids face." ) The one ABSOLUTE thing scientist all agree on: EXERCISE IS GOOD FOR HUMAN BEINGS! At ALL ages. Debates about about what foods are most helpful/harmful in individuals, but EXERCISE helps all human body/brain functioning, staves off numerous diseases.

By YOUR reasoning why even TRY to sort out correlations with the steady, now epidemic rises in autism, ADD, asthma, diabetes, obesity (that happen to correlate w/ HFCS in food supply, increasing vaccine "schedule, increasing mercury emmissions, autism rates near polluted air/water sources) OF COURSE some correlations may be "spurious" and no doubt the reasons for these epidemic rises are complex and genes DO play a role. But some hypothesises about the harm pesticides, toxic chemicals in our food supply make more sense than others. And yes, maybe it's the insecticides they're pooring on the soccer fields?

[Chaimirija]

I dunno, this is a sore spot for me. Do you wear cosmetics? Don't take my word for it: research the chemicals and metals in those, and then get back to me.

[mom2luke]

No. I do not wear cosmetics. Lead in lipstick? That ends up in your mouth, as you eat off the lipstick? No thank you. What about "sparkles" in kids' lipgloss...what heavy metals make up those sparkles? Do you want your daughter eatting those? There's a camp in the cancer-prevention movement that is upset w/ Race for the Cure for taking contributions from Avon, when it's products are full of cancer-causing toxins... why is cancer a greater problem for women than men? Is it because women wear these toxins--on the largest organ of their body--the skin-- every day? Is sunscreen doing more harm than good...all those chemicals soak into our skin and block needed Vitamin D.
So much information out there, it's hard to know what to believe. I rarely wear make up anymore, and when I do...my skin rebels with breakouts... "natural" part of aging? I don't know, but I know how to prevent it... "just say no."
I wish a TRULY independent FDA could look into this. I am tired of being reassured that chemicals are "safe". When was the last time U.S. banned a chemical?