Search This Blog

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Sulfate Deficiency

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss various ideas about what causes the conditionHere is just a partial list of correlatesrisk factors, and possible causes that have been the subject of serious studies:

At The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Richard J. Williams has an article titled "Sulfate Deficiency as a Risk Factor for Autism."   The abstract:
This is a study of water and beverages consumed during pregnancy by mothers of children with autism. Materials included vials for water samples and a survey to describe the water and beverages. Samples were tested for sulfate and surveys evaluated for average daily levels. Results were stratified for selected regions of the United States. Areas with the highest rates of autism showed a trend toward lower levels of sulfate compared to areas with low rates of autism (28% sulfate, n = 45, p = 0.059). Severe autism was associated with low sulfate levels while mild symptoms were associated with higher levels of sulfate (− 0.32 correlation, n = 86, p < 0.01). The results suggest that sulfate may be helpful in reducing both the incidence and severity of autism.