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Researcher sees link between vitamin D, autism

MARTIN MITTELSTAEDT

From Friday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 10:11 AM EDT 10/07/07

Experts call the hypothesis - that deficiency in pregnant women and young children is a factor - speculative ...Read the full article

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  1. Barb Strain from Toronto, Canada writes: In Canada, birthdate of the child will have an effect on the amount of sun exposure a Mom may or may not have taken at peak sun exposure times, during pregnancy....with some pregnancy terms missing the late spring and summer months altogether. I wonder if they have done a birthday correlation, as another measure of interest.
  2. C K from Duncan, Canada writes: Barb is right: an international study of birthdates and incidence of MS (a vitamin D link has also been hypothesized as one of the causes of multiple sclerosis) showed that of people who went on to develop MS, more were born in May (when the gestational period would have occurred, for the most part, over the fall and winter with less sunlight) than in other months. Comparatively, fewer people born in November (when the mother's pregnancy would have occurred during the spring and summer months) went on to develop MS. There are still other factors involved in the development of MS (some genetic) but any step toward identifying the causes of such diseases as MS and autism -- especially contributing factors that may be within our influence -- is certainly positive. But readers should guard against media stories that talk about a single researcher, especially one who draws correlations from data that has been collected by others. The bigger the studies, the more studies of a similar nature, the more you can rely on the results.
  3. On Edge from Canada writes: The vitamin D - autism link is plausible. When you add the admonitions to all new mothers to breastfeed, it gets even more scary. The newborns are then not getting sufficient vitamin D in the breast milk. Recently we have seen stories of the rise in cases of rickets being linked to breastfeeding. Maybe it is time we rethought some of our public health pummelling people into submitting to practices which turn out to have negative consequences - avoid sun, avoid dairy foods, breast feed, and so on.
  4. Silent Majority from winnipeg, Canada writes: 'If only 10 pregnant women go outside and sunbathe a little bit, they may be saved a lifetime of misery,' he said.

    Pardon ME??????
  5. Jane Doe from Canada writes: On Edge: if you breastfeed your infant, the doctor asks you also give the infant Vitamin D supplements for breast-fed infants. And this is the first time I ever heard of advice to avoid dairy products. I agree with you on the sun issue - we should learn there's a middle way, and benefits from a little moderate sun exposure far outweigh costs.
  6. John Cannell, MD from Atascadero, United States writes: Actually, season of birth studies in autism have been done and the majority, seven studies, found winter births, especially March births, are more likely to produce an autistic child. Only one latitudinal study exists (Grant et al, unpublished) and it showed decreased rates at more equatorial latitudes and increased rates at poleward latitudes. Recent CDC prevalence data from 14 states showed the state with the highest prevalence, New Jersey, was the second most northern; Alabama, with the lowest prevalence, was the most southern of the 14 states surveyed.

    For those who want to read more go to, http://www.vitamindcouncil.com/health/autism/

    For those who would like a PDF of the entire paper, email me at jcannell@ash.dmh.ca.gov.

    John Cannell, MD
    Department of Psychiatry
    Atascadero State Hospital
  7. Pat Gesner from Canada writes: It is actually a fairly easy study to prove or disapprove since we do have access to a populatin that tends to be highly vit D deficent. Covered up muslim women especially dark skinned ones that have moved to Europe. The discovery was linked to a comeback of rickets in children in England. It was quite a scrare since it was around the time of the discovery of AIDS, a discovery made when investigating a very marked increase in a rare disease.



    There is also talk of schizophrenia been linked with low vit D. that was about 7 years back so time enough for reports to be out, so it maybe there is not a huge link.
  8. On Edge from Ottawa, Canada writes: Jane Doe, whether or not mothers are advised to give infants vitamin D supplements, it might be better if they got the vitamin through regular dietary means rather than supplements. Who knows if mothers follow that advice anyway? And as for avoiding dairy, I did not mean new mothers are avoiding it, although they likely are, but the population at large. It has been demonized for years now, and we are either drinking low-fat milk, the calcium in which does not absorb well without the fat, or doing the soy milk thing.
  9. Edmund S from Canada writes: I applaud those who are willing to put out their hypotheses to help people prevent, and possibly even treat, autism. For any family dealing with a child with ASD, it is incredible the absolute dearth of treatment options or information available as to the causes of ASD. The standard of 'proof' seems to be inordinately high among the scientific community (ie pediatricians) when it comes to ASD. I wonder why? Probably because it is a condition best treated and understood by neurologists (or psychiatrists), not pediatricians. Due respect to pediatricians. This hypothesis is not the first to suggest this link. Parents for many years now have found vitamin supplementation (particulary A and D) has resolved, or significantly moderated, some of their child's ASD symptoms. There are complex reasons why this would be so, which are not properly discussed or to be adequately understood in a mass media publication. Unfortunately, the theory won't be given the proper treatment in the scientific community either - as with every other hypothesis related to ASD. I applaud Dr Cannel for putting his hypothesis on the table for pediatricians with ASD patients in their caseload to test. Perhaps we'll see some published studies on the results in the future, although if the pediatricians our family has dealt with are an indication, this will not be tried, or if it is tried, will not be the subject of serious scientific consideration. However there are one or two pediatricians in the continent with an open enough mind to at least encourage families to try it and see. This is amusing since vitamin supplementation is, at its worst useless whereas, if the theory is true, the ramifications are significant.
  10. Richard Daystrom from Toronto, Canada writes: I'm with Edmund S in applauding Dr Cannell for putting his hypothesis on the table for all to see. What irks me is that whenever the media has a piece on the benefits of vitamin D, the article will start out with a blinding glimpse of the obvious that yes, sunlight is a great way for us to get the vitamin but then it invariably segues to supplements because of the risk of skin damage and melanoma. Bottom line - I'm wearing a tank top and shorts while walking my dog; how long should I stay in the sun???? Not everyone is interested in popping a pill.
  11. linda sepp from toronto,, Canada writes: Has anyone thought that there might be a connection with indoor air quality during the winter months?
    And that a lot of first time parents paint the nursery and buy new furnishings, all full of chemicals that have not been studied for neurotoxicity on developing (and other) brains?
    There might even be a strong relationship between autistic behaviours and exposure to everyday chemicals in laundry products, perfumes, colognes, preservatives, pesticides, formaldehyde.
    These all accumulate indoors during winter months.
    How people can expect a developing body to withstand the assault of chemicals that many adults have perished from, is one of the mysteries of modern government regulations.
  12. Heather Logan from Canada writes: The Canadian Cancer Society recommends 'a few minutes a day' of unprotected sun exposure; I've also seen 10 minutes a day quoted. But apparently this only works during the late spring and summer months because winter sunlight is too weak this far north; hence the new recommendation for 1000 IU/day vitamin D supplementation during the fall and winter months. Details can be found on their website at http://www.cancer.ca .
  13. Joe More from New York, United States writes: 1 part per billion (ppb) mercury = Kills human neuroblastoma cells (Parran et al., Toxicol Sci 2005).

    2 ppb mercury = U.S. EPA limit for drinking water (http://www.epa.gov/safewater/contaminants/index.html#mcls).

    20 ppb mercury = Dendritic cells damaged, calcium channels interrupted (UC-Davis MIND Institute, 2006).

    200 ppb mercury = level in liquid the EPA classifies as hazardous waste (http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/mercury/regs.htmhazwaste)

    600 ppb mercury = Level in a currently licensed Hepatitis B, multi-dose vaccine vial, labeled as trace.

    2,000 ppb mercury = 0.50-mL injections of Thimerosal-containing vaccines (FDA CBER's definition of 'trace').

    25,000 ppb mercury= Concentration of mercury in multi-dose, Hepatitis B vaccine vials, administered at birth from 1990-2000 in the U.S.

    50,000 ppb mercury = Concentration of mercury in DTaP and Haemophilus B vaccine administered 8 times in the 1990's to children at 2, 4, 6, 12 and 18 months of age. Current 'preservative' level mercury in flu, meningococcal and tetanus (7 and older) vaccines
  14. T G from Canada writes: Joe More, you are being highly irresponsible in neglecting to mention that it is ethyl mercury that is in vaccines, which has been shown to be harmless to date, rather than the toxic methyl mercury that you refer to as having a 2 ppb safe cut off in the drinking water. However, I suspect you already knew this, so please stop your fear mongering. Vaccines do NOT cause autism.
  15. Joshua Petronovitch from Canada writes: To Joe More: In addition to TG's comment, I would like to point out a further flaw in your thinking. Your facts do not speak for themselves. Even with the highest figure 50 000 ppb in the hep B vaccine, you are neglecting the fact that an average human being is 70-80 kG. We are 2/3 water. Therefore we contain about 50 L of water on average. I know in real life things arent this simple, but a 1 mL vial of 50 000 ppb mercury would dilute down to 1 ppb which is less than even the lowest figure you quoted as damaging neurons. Combine this with the fact that a) a certain amount of that mercury is eliminated from the body b) not all of it would go to the brain and c) most of us would rather not get hepatitis. The anti-vaccination movement is unscientific and irresponsible. Even if there is a definite link found between autism and vaccines, we will have gotten ourselves nowhere if our children start coming down with polio and tetanus.
  16. Joe More from New York, United States writes: My wife conceived in January, 1997. She took vitamins which contained 66% of daily vit. D requirements. She loved milk (vit. D fortified). Her favorite thing to do was to lay out in the sun, nude, while pregnant. Our child is severly autistic (regressive). Tg and JP, you are idiots! It is well documented that ethylmercury leaves behind much more inorganic mercury in the brain than methylmercury. Sorry to rain on your (propoganda) parade. If my post was not scientific what is?
  17. G E from Toronto, Canada writes: T G from Canada writes: '...ethyl mercury that is in vaccines, which has been shown to be harmless to date...'

    I won't debate the vaccine issue here, but it is highly irresponsible and just plain incorrect to state that ethyl mercury is harmless. It is true, there is very little safety data on the compound (despite it's widespread use in shots -- including vaccines), but the data that exists shows that it is quite toxic. The Thimerosal manufacturers themselves post warnings of it's toxicity and there are numerous documented cases of Thimerosal poisoning causing significant damage to individuals.

    To quote from Eli Lilly's MSDS sheet: 'Primary Physical and Health Hazards: Skin Permeable. Toxic. Mutagen. Irritant (eyes).
    Allergen. Nervous System and Reproductive Effects.
    Caution Statement: Thimerosal may enter the body through the skin, is toxic, alters genetic material,
    may be irritating to the eyes, and causes allergic reactions. Effects of exposure may include numbness
    of extremities, fetal changes, decreased offspring survival, and lung tissue changes.' and it goes on.

    If you're really interested in the truth, please do your homework and state facts, not fiction.
  18. G E from Toronto, Canada writes: Joshua Petronovitch: If you want to claim one side is being unscientific, then you at least have to maintain accurate and factual statements yourself to maintain credibility. There has been a study on Ethyl Mercury's effects on pregnant women (who do get shots with Thimerosal -- flu shot, rho gam) and it has shown that although the half life of Ethyl mercury is much shorter than Methyl Mercury, it still crosses the blood brain barrier, and deposits itself in organic mercury form in the brain.

    As for your simplistic hyposthesis and mathematics, it is completely irrelevant, because these vaccines get injected into children starting before birth where their weight is much much smaller, and their immune systems very different from adults.

    Also, you assume that people who are anti-Thimerosal are anti-vaccine. This is far from the truth. There is no reason that Thimerosal-free vaccines should not be provided to children in North America, as several European countries banned this preservative in their vaccines almost a decade ago.

    Posting gross inaccuracies while throwing blanket accusations at others of being unscientific is hardly the way to convince anyone.
  19. Joshua Petronovitch from Jamestown, Canada writes: Well Joe, while I sympathize with you, let me explain what science is. It requires eliminating as many variables as possible so that the test group and the control group differ only in terms of the variables being tested. Your situation is unfortunate, but there is nothing scientific about what you said. Autism occurs in 1/1000 births e.g. not that common. To say that because your wife had enough vitamin D that it must have been the mercury in your child's vaccinations is not even remotely scientific. Think about how many other exposures or deficiencies your child or wife may have had, not to mention genetic factors. How do you explain the 999/1000 children who receive vaccinations and do not develop autism. I understand that you are upset because it seems like I'm minimizing your situation, which I'm not, but calling me an idiot doesn't make you right.
  20. T G from Canada writes: Joe More, I am very sorry to hear about your child. However, referring to myself and JP as idiots shows that you are angry and inappropriately looking to lash out and blame others. Obstetricians are among the most [unsuccessfully] sued specialists because parents often can't comprehend that unfortunate events happen in nature and they are looking to rationalize the pregnancy outcome by blaming doctors. In a growing trend, many parents of autistic children have been misled about the facts of thimerosal and are similarly displacing blame upon vaccines. There are many studies that have been preformed on the safety of ethyl mercury. The full article I found below was a review of 12 separate studies. The link is posted below. 'Thimerosal Exposure in Infants and Developmental Disorders A Retrospective Cohort Study in the United Kingdom Does Not Support a Causal Association' http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/114/3/577 Furthermore, stating your individual case is anything but scientific. A personal story fails to demonstrate cause and effect. What about the hundreds of thousands of children that have been vaccinized in North America with thiomersal containing vaccines that did not develop autism? It is good that your wife got plenty of sun and Vit D, but this G&M article states Dr. Cannell only HYPOTHESIZES that there is a link to vitamin D deficiency. Furthermore, what if Dr. Cannell is correct, and it was some form of Vit D metabolism abnormality by fetal tissues during pregnancy that resulted in autism. It is hypocritical of you to be accusing me of propaganda while you have a blatant disregard for evidence based medicine. I fear that I am talking to a brick wall. However, I hope my post is able to stop you from scaring off parents from life saving vaccinations. Ever see a kid on an iron lung machine due to polio, or a kid dying in the ER from epiglottitis from Haemophilus Influenzae B? Didn't think so, let's keep it that way.
  21. T G from Canada writes: Dear GE, please find me a scientific paper demonstrating the dangers of thimerosal to fetus's or children. Make sure it is from a reputable peer reviewed scientific journal (i.e. New England Journal of Medicine, Pediatrics, Vaccine, etc). I will resume this discussion once you have.
  22. Michael H from Edmonton, Canada writes: GE, of course thimersol is an irritant. It's called an adjuvant and it is necessary to properly induce an antibody response (i.e. immunity).

    Joe More, TG is absolutely correct, anecdotal evidence is effectively meaningless and certainly uninterpretable. As TG pointed out, your experience does nothing to disprove the hypothesis.

    On Edge, unless you are consuming liters of milk per day, you cannot get enough Vitamin D from your diet. The normal source of Vitamin D is sunlight. Vitamin D is made by the body when exposed to UV light. I realize that the organic crowd likes to believe that everything can be handled by diet but you really need to be a bit more objective.

    I think that the bottom line is that you have nothing to lose in taking Vitamin D supplements but you may lose by not taking them.
  23. G E from Toronto, Canada writes: T G: You were the one making the assertion that Ethyl Mercury is harmless. From the manufacturer themselves, there is documentation stating the toxicity of the compound. Your broad based statements are inaccurate. If you want to state that the level of Themirosal contained within childhood vaccines is safe for babies, that is a completely different statement. If you object to the toxicity data on Thimerosal and claim that it is harmless, then you are the one who has to provide the data. If you want to stop making broad inaccurate statements, then maybe someone can have a debate.

    For someone who claims to be scientific, it's pretty rudimentary that you have to make factual assertions that are accurate and specific. You have not done so in the statement: 'Ethyl Mercury is harmless'.
  24. Joshua Petronovitch from Jamestown, Canada writes: Hey GE,

    Ok, firstly, vaccines are not injected into fetuses, or 'children before birth' as you call them. So I'm not sure what their lower weight has to do with it as the mercury is diluted in the mother's body first. I said myself that I was being simplistic, but only to point out the fact that Joe M was making a misleading comparison saying that the vaccine has 50 000 ppb Hg compared with 20 ppb required to damage neurons.
    Secondly, I don't need to provide counter information to prove that anecdotal evidence is unscientific. It simply isn't regardless of what I say. You'll have to do better than that. In medicine, anecdotes do not meet the burden of proof.
    Perhaps the only criticism I'll accept from you is that anti-themirosal people are not necessarily anti-vaccine. True enough.
    But as for your one study, what does it mean? How has it established the link to autism? I could prove that fat from a big mac gets deposited in fat cells in a person's body, but I'd have to do a lot better than that to establish the link between eating fast food and developing heart disease.
  25. G E from Toronto, Canada writes: 'Michael H from Edmonton, Canada writes: GE, of course thimersol is an irritant. It's called an adjuvant and it is necessary to properly induce an antibody response (i.e. immunity).'

    No kidding. It also states that it causes genetic damage and fetal changes. Are you actually going to argue that it is a harmless compound?

    T G did not say that the dosages in vaccines have not been shown to be harmful to date. That might have been a better statement (although arguable). He made a very unscientific statement that Ethyl Mercury is harmless. Such a statement made while chastising someone else for broad based unscientific statements is purely hypocritical.
  26. Michael H from Edmonton, Canada writes: Here is a recent review on the use of ethyl mercury in vaccines: Vaccine (2004) 22:1854-61

    While a number of studies remain to be completed, evidence is mounting that there is no demonstrable risk for infants immunized with vaccines containing thiomersal. Epidemiological studies in the US have shown no developmental or other central nervous system abnormalities resulting from exposure to vaccines containing thiomersal. During the initial evaluation of thiomersal in vaccines during 1999, the toxicological profile of ethyl mercury was unknown and presumed to be the same as that of methyl mercury. Enough evidence has accumulated since then to indicate the profiles of the two compounds are different in crucial aspects. To date, one study has measured blood levels of total mercury in vaccinated infants and reports only a brief low-level exposure with rapid excretion of mercury. It is not yet known for sure how much (if any) vaccine-derived ethyl mercury in the blood crosses the blood-brain barrier. For the most part, the use of thiomersal as a vaccine preservative has been convincingly shown to be safe. The scientific evidence is not yet sufficiently strong to provide the same level of assurance for thiomersal-containing vaccines for use in pregnant women or the premature or low birth weight infant. There is an increased sensitivity of the fetal brain to mercury whether it is ethyl or methyl mercury. While there is no evidence to support the contention, it is at least theoretically possible that very low birth weight premature infants may be at increased risk from thiomersal-containing vaccines. Until such time as the scientific evidence is to hand, thiomersal-free presentations of hepatitis B are to be preferred for the birth dose. Given the same levels of exposure, adults are at much lower levels of risk because of increased body mass. It is not possible to prove that thiomersal is completely safe-epidemiology can only quantify a risk, not prove its absence.
  27. G E from Toronto, Canada writes: Joshua Petronovitch:

    I have done some homework on this topic: 'In a Jan. 26 presentation at EPA's National Forum on Contaminants in Fish, in San Diego, EPA biochemist Kathryn R. Mahaffey said researchers in the last few years had shown that mercury levels in a fetus's umbilical cord blood are 70 percent higher than those in the mother's blood.'

    You even state that your example is simplistic. I would argue is based on nothing but highschool math, and debating the non-scientific example further would be pointless.

    Please note. I never stated any study proved that Thimerosal in vaccines causes Autism. I was merely pointing out the inaccurate statements being made by the Thimerosal supporters. My personal opinion -- based only on opinion formed from reading many many studies, case and other -- is that it can be a contributing factor in some cases (much like the author of this article says of vitamin D) but surely not the only cause. In the absense of any credible data either way, all we have is opinion at this point.
  28. Michael H from Edmonton, Canada writes: I was incorrect on the use of thimersol as an adjuvant. Here is another review that, again, concludes that thimersol is safe as used.

    Expert Opinions in Drug Safety (2006) 5:17-29
    Clements CJ, McIntyre PB.
    Centre for International Health, The Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health Ltd, GPO Box 2284, Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia. john@clem.com.au
    Without a preservative, such as thiomersal (known as thimerosal in the US), multi-dose liquid presentations of vaccine are vulnerable to bacteriological contamination that can result in death or serious illness of the recipient. Concerns about levels of mercury exposure from thiomersal-containing vaccines were first raised in the US during 1999 in the context of Hepatitis B vaccine for newborns. Since then, a large body of evidence from animal and epidemiological studies has accumulated on the safety of thiomersal. Ironically, these data have become largely irrelevant in wealthy countries, where mono-dose, thiomersal-free vaccines have been introduced as a precautionary measure in almost all childhood vaccines, in part related to residual public scepticism. In poor countries, multi-dose vials remain important for vaccine delivery. There is a real danger that this controversy may result in the loss to the world of thiomersal as a preservative, simply from popular pressure. In reality, it would be impossible to cease overnight using thiomersal and maintain the supply of vital vaccines. This paper reviews and summarises the data available from published studies on mercury toxicity, and thiomersal in vaccines in particular, that overwhelmingly indicate continued use of thiomersal is safe in those countries where it is most needed.
  29. Michael H from Edmonton, Canada writes: GE, obviously the compound is not harmless but there is a question of dose. Take radiation for example. Radiation is lethal in high doses. In low doses (below what you would get in a therapeutic setting), many studies have shown benefits. These questions are not black and white. Note that the last abstract that I posted states that in Western countries thimersol is usually not present in vaccines used on infants.
  30. G E from Toronto, Canada writes: To Michael H from Edmonton: Yes, that statement isn't very definitive at all. Additionally, it is presumably basing this on the conclusions of other studies in the 'review'. Unless we can validate the results of these other studies, there is no credible data to back up. A number of the studies weren't finished, and the studies published in the US at that time (2004) were certainly suspect, much like the one I talked about above. I've gone through all of this. I am personally disappointed by the lack of quality studies being performed, because when you actually dig into the details, you'll inevitably find they're based on assumptions built like a house of cards. Even the statements made here are very weak.

    Even more interesting is that the study showing that Ethyl Mercury has a much smaller half life than Methyl Mercury also shows that the remaining organic mercury actually deposits in the brain. So despite the evidence suggesting that the peak blood/mercury content appears to be lower than expected as a worst case, it is very concerning that the remaining organic mercury gets deposited in the brain where it is known to interfere with the biology. Read the study.
  31. Michael H from Edmonton, Canada writes: GE, here is a recent review on the suspected links between autism and thimersol

    Can J Neurol Sci. 2006 Nov;33(4):341-6.

    Immunizations and autism: a review of the literature.

    Doja A, Roberts W.
    Division of Neurology, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
    Because of a temporal correlation between the first notable signs and symptoms of autism and the routine childhood vaccination schedule, many parents have become increasingly concerned regarding the possible etiologic role vaccines may play in the development of autism. In particular, some have suggested an association between the Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccine and autism. Our literature review found very few studies supporting this theory, with the overwhelming majority showing no causal association between the Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccine and autism. The vaccine preservative thimerosal has alternatively been hypothesized to have a possible causal role in autism. Again, no convincing evidence was found to support this claim, nor for the use of chelation therapy in autism. With decreasing uptake of immunizations in children and the inevitable occurrence of measles outbreaks, it is important that clinicians be aware of the literature concerning vaccinations and autism so that they may have informed discussions with parents and caregivers.

    If you want to make the argument, testimonials are not something that a scientist can take seriously. You should go to www.pubmed.gov. Here you will be able to search all peer-reviewed published medical literature and read the criticisms of papers reporting links or reporting an absence of effects. The easiest place to start after doing the search is to click on the review tab. Here you will find assessments of the collective literature on the topic.
  32. G E from Toronto, Canada writes: 'Michael H from Edmonton, Canada writes: GE, obviously the compound is not harmless but there is a question of dose. '

    Yes, we agree then. That was the only point I was originally making to T G as he stated erroneously that it was harmless without even discussing dosage.

    There is always a question of dose, and the inaccuracies of the databases used in most of the epidemiology studies makes determining dose very difficult, and thus the conclusions made in all of these studies are based on very questionable assumptions. Many of these studies have been found lacking in this particular regard.

    As for the expert opinion, it is just that: Opinion. I will re-assert that he has provided little to no evidence, and bases his opinion on these same FEW flawed epidemiology studies. I assume he references them elsewhere. I can certainly find you experts who will espouse the opposite opinion (all doctors) but they also will only be opinion. You only need to read the CDC minutes from the year 2000 to find them.

    I will also re-assert that there is little credible evidence to disprove a link. Given the lack of credible epidemiological evidence showing or disproving correlation, we only have case studies to work with. The data from case studies can always be argued, but I believe they show enough concern to justify PROPER study into the matter. The blatent disregard of the hypothesis is not justified, and the fear mongering that this will destroy the vaccination program is pure nonesense. There are many other countries that banned the use of thimerosal in vaccines long ago, and their system did not collapse. This person's expert opinion attempts to say that Thimerosal is required. This is just plain wrong.

    Did this expert publish any conflicts of interest by chance?
  33. Michael H from Edmonton, Canada writes: GE, I think that there is a very interesting statement in the Canadian review: there is no evidence supporting the use of chelation therapy for autism. Presumably, if thimersol was a causal agent, chelation therapy should be effective.

    I think that the most interesting thing about the article is that it reinforces the studies coming out on cancer that effectively tell us that we should definitely be taking vitamin D supplements. One of the things that I find irritating are those individuals who imply that 'synthetic' is bad and 'natural' is good. In the case of vitamin D, it is exposure to the sun. While the 'organic' crowd will sometimes argue that sunlight is the better approach because it is 'natural', the Canadian Cancer Society certainly is not. They are advising that sun exposure be minimized and that supplements are the preferred source of vitamin D. You can only win by taking this supplement (assuming you do not vastly exceed the recommended dose). With sunlight, it is more of a gamble.
  34. G E from Toronto, Canada writes: 'Michael H from Edmonton, Canada writes: GE, here is a recent review on the suspected links between autism and thimersol'

    Well, this answer here refers to the MMR vaccine, which is an entirely different hypothesis since it DOESN'T CONTAIN thimerosal.

    We could end the discussion right here, but I'll keep going, because you're missing some more data on the MMR discussion. The definitive Cochrane (somewhat independent, although still full of conflict of interest) group considered thousands of studies about MMR and autism and concluded: 'The design and reporting of safety outcomes in MMR vaccine studies, both pre- and post-marketing, are largely inadequate. The
    evidence of adverse events following immunisation with MMR cannot be separated from its role in preventing the target diseases.'
  35. Michael H from Edmonton, Canada writes: GE, yes, I do not think that we disagree, with one exception. These posts aren't really directed at you. I understand that I misunderstood what you were trying to do in your criticism of TG. The posts are meant to provide people with peer reviewed material. I didn't select this nor did I do anything comprehensive. I simply picked what was most relevant in the first few publications in the list from the search.

    Where we do disagree, if I understood your post properly, is what physicians have to say on the matter. A physician's opinion (or even the opinion of large numbers of physicians) lacks credibility (unless it is based upon a research study that they performed). This is because a physician's opinion is not much different than the anecdotal opinion that was criticized here. It is still anecdotal (although based on a larger number of subjects).
  36. G E from Toronto, Canada writes: TO: Michael H from Edmonton, Canada writes:

    Again I would want to see the conflicts of interest statements before making a full judgement, but I share your curiousity on the aspects of chelation. There is clearly a lot of mis-information abounding about chelation, and surely there is some bad medicine being practiced around it. However, that is not to say that it is also not helping some people who are doing it. I have heard from numerous people personally that it does have an effect, and that indeed high levels of mercury have been noted to be excreted during the treatment.

    I certainly agree that it is likely that there is no peer reviewed study showing the treatment to be effective, and so the statement made is probably accurate. However, lack of peer reviewed studies does not mean it doesn't work and so I don't just accept that opinion out of hand. However, I agree that one must address this topic with a skeptical eye.

    As for Vitamin D, I am equally curious about the differences between natural vs supplimental vitamin D. I do know that in the cases of some suppliments, it is definately more beneficial to receive the dose from a natural source where it is more readily absorbed by the body, but I have seen VERY little discussion regarding vitamin D. I personally don't like sun lotion because it smells, and has a lot of crap in it. I've always stayed out of direct sun, or limited my exposure to small amounts. Likewise with my children, I typically dress them properly for the sun with hats and a sun jacket rather than use the lotion. They have never had any problems with this approach, but I am still interested in the science of the suppliments.
  37. Michael H from Edmonton, Canada writes: GE, the Cochrane Library is largely directed at physicians. Pubmed is the definitive source for biomedical literature. In terms of conflicts of interest, I would be skeptical that it is this widespread. Note that the Canadian review also dealt with thimersol as well as the MMR vaccine (independently).
  38. Michael H from Edmonton, Canada writes: GE, vitamin D is, to my knowledge, only available as a supplement (in milk, for example, where it aids in the absorption of calcium) or from sunlight. The Canadian Cancer Society is recommending the sunlight. There can be both benefits (synergism in particular) and hazards (the presence of toxins in natural sources of 'good' medicine). Plants have evolved lots of defense mechanisms to ward off infections, insects, and animal consumption. Again, this is not something that is black and white and, if one is going to use natural sources of 'drugs', it is important to know what you are doing (properly research whatever medical or compositional information is available). In some cases, there will be real benefits that aren't found in purified or synthetic drugs but in many cases there will be negatives that come with the positives when natural sources are used.
  39. michele martin from Canada writes: Maybe EI Lilly is coming out with a vit D vaccine, read Salk! did he leave the world with something far worse? his own word's ?, HIV, is polio not just renamed GBS.
    NOT ANTI VACCINE HOW EVER.

    Jill James. work is worth looking into,

    Impaired transsulfuration and oxidative stress in autistic children: Improvement with targeted nutritional intervention

    S. Jill James, PhD

    think it much more complex, then a vac injury, or metals, viral! at least they have moved beyond fridge moms.

    Vit D acts very much like a hormone, according to some studie's
    The vaccine issue is not one your MD's can discuss in any open way, they have been told to shut it down, IMHO that jury is still out, and a very sound reason for why some have been effected and others not,
    inborn errors of metabolism , genetic mutation, oxidative stress, so on.
    The jurys out, but for the sake of so many, I hope medicine will keep an open mind.
    Have M.S and born Jan, full sun exposure, location.
    Have hears everything from distemper in dogs, to hg fillings, again I think it is more complex. Living well regardless, is the best medicine.
  40. G E from Toronto, Canada writes: Michael H from Edmonton, Canada writes: (on what we agree on)

    I realize the post was not directed at me, but it really irritates me when people post broad brushes in the name of science while violating the principles they are trying to espouse. I also feel that people are busy reading study headlines without actually drilling in, and the press releases are always biased.

    I think we're closer to agreeing than you think. Where we differ is probably in subtle semantics. I agree that a physicians (or expert) opinion is the lowest ranking in terms of evidence given it's high propensity of bias. The use of the term 'lack of credibility' is far harsher than I've seen described in definitions of Evidence based Medicine.

    My position is that there is no high ranking evidence on this topic (much like the Cochrane Group concluded regarding the safety of MMR vaccine) and so all we have left is individual case studies. This does not make it non-credible, just very likely subject to bias. Ironically, if you read through the Cochrane report on MMR, you'll find that almost none of the studies reviews (out of thousands) had a low bias even though they ranked high on the Evidence based Medicine scale. This just goes to show the poor state of our research and heavily biased journals.

    Thus exterely strong statements against a hypothesis are not justified by evidence, and neither are strong statements of causation. So we're left with poor evidence in the form of case studies -- but I would argue non-credible is too harsh a term. I guarantee you that every medical problem (i.e. thalydomide) started out as a collection of cases.
  41. G E from Toronto, Canada writes: 'Michael H from Edmonton, Canada writes: GE, the Cochrane Library is largely directed at physicians. '

    If so, why was the review so highly publicized in the press to the public?

    'In terms of conflicts of interest, I would be skeptical that it is this widespread. '

    A statement of opinion. there are numerous studies that do not support your assertion. In addition to the Cochrane report (which rejected a huge number of studies due to high propensity of bias) there are numerous studies showing us that conflicts of interest in industry funded research (99% of it is industry funded) are widespread. One more recent example is: 'GhostAuthorship in Industry-Initiated Randomised Trials'

    I can provide 5 more links in 10 seconds if you require them. I have read all of these studies. Conflict of Interest is a real problem in medical research.
  42. michele martin from Canada writes: reminds me of something else.. lead and Needlman. Smoking, and Big T, the system need's some cleansing.

    . The ultimate movers in our system are the politicians who, of course, do what is politically acceptable. By blanketing the media with affirmations of their dedication to human health, the drug companies have made an attack on themselves politically unacceptable.

    2. Given that the hands of the politicians are tied, the next most powerful movers are the funding agencies. However, because of the way the peer-review system is structured , the system which feeds personnel to these agencies has become increasingly infiltrated by those with political skills, and increasingly diminished of those with high academic skills.

    3.The solution to this progressive 'dumming down' of the professoriat is to restructure the peer-review system. When this is done, future Olivieris will find themselves with an abundance of supportive colleagues, including those in high administrative positions. In short we will have taken the first step towards arresting the money and power-driven juggernaut - the headless monster that is our biomedical enterprise.

    The wars at health Canada have been long standing, EPA, how can we know, if vital info is withheld. I reserve the right to get smarter
    I hope for the sake of so many, others do as well.
  43. Michael H from Edmonton, Canada writes: GE, yes, I apologize. I was speaking in a technical academic sense forgetting that this is not really what you are trying to say. I don't mean to say that the observations of physicians are of no value. Quite the contrary. These types of observations provide the impetus for doing a study that can reach conclusions and with measures of statistical significance. My point really was that any such observations are indeed worth noting but making definitive statements requires evidence that withstands scrutiny and has undergone peer review.

    In terms of your concerns related to the 'tainting' of research studies. I'm not willing to invest the time to figure all of this out but the approach that I would suggest if one did want to is to look at the research publications (usually at least the abstract is available for nothing) and determine who funded the study (public or private source) and the nature of the investigator(s)-clinician researcher's (who could have undisclosed interests related to the support of other clinical research they are involved in) or Ph.D.'s, who are less likely to have undisclosed conflicts if the study under question is funded through public sources (NIH, CIHR, etc...).
  44. Michael H from Edmonton, Canada writes: GE, as someone who does biomedical research and runs a research laboratory, I would disagree with your contention that there is widespread corruption. I can't speak about clinical research (which you are largely referring to) although I work in such a setting and there are no rumors circulating (which there likely would be if it corruption and misreporting of data was widespread). Most basic biomedical research is publicly funded. This is what you hear reported all of the time in places like the G&M in terms of groundbreaking medical research discoveries.

    I do think that there is something very negative that this government has planned for biomedical research in this country. With the resignation of Alan Bernstein (head of the CIHR) a couple of weeks ago, the government has set the stage for a planned takeover of government-funded research by corporate interests. The Canadian Association of University Teachers paper reported that the government plans to appoint corporate interests to the governing councils of the major public research funding agencies (CIHR, NSERC) and force the research community to perform what is effectively industry-directed research. Essentially, a giant subsidy to industry providing them with labour and overhead (i.e. university laboratories) to advance their specific interests. One consequence, if this is implemented the way it appears to be intended, is that the most talented people will leave the country in order to maintain an independent research program and pursue their own research interests. Since this is the standard worldwide and because this research is highly sought after on an international scale, this will have significant negative consequences on the future competitiveness of the country in biomedicine.
  45. Expert Eel from Canada writes: Big pharma is desperately trying to find something to blame autism on other than mercury. My wife took a recommended multi-vitamin EVERY day of both her pregnancies, including Vitamin D Both our children were fine right up till they got their MMR injections Then they both lost the little speach that they had and we have been recovering as a family for 5 years now. Vitamin D, what B.S. THIMERISOL as a preservative in vaccines is definetly a cause.
  46. Joe More from New York, United States writes: I'mk conducting a poll as to the cause of our current autism epidemic. Can you all help? Here are the choices. Please vote below.

    (A) Babies are watching to much Television.

    (B) Old fathers.

    (C) Better diagnosing by our top-notch medical professionals.

    (D) Not enough Vitamin D.

    (E) The injection of pregnant women, newborns and infants with levels of mercury hunfreds of times higher than hazardous waste levels.
  47. Jane Doe from Canada writes: I'm a bti furious and a bit scared. This is my second pregnancy, and I've had Rhogam shots in both. Until reading theses posts, I had no clue about the mercury in the Rhogam vaccine or it's potential harmful effects on the fetus - annnecdotal evidence or not. I like to think of myself as educated and informed, and still I had NO CLUE. So I tried to search a bit, and I found that in the U.S. FDA mandates that the Rhogam shot needs to be mercury-free since 2003. I could find no similar information from the Health Canada website. There are bits and pieces about mercury-free shots for most of the routine infant immunizations. I have no clue what's routine and what's not. the SCARRIEST thing though is something I read between the lines, in reference to hepatitis and influenza shots, which are still made with mercury. Health Canada says that, since studies have not 'conclusively' found a causal link between the shots and diseases such as autism, doctors are not required to disclose the mercury factor when administering vaccines containing mercury preservatives. Does anybody know if this is true? If it is, I find it borderline criminal. If I want to believe 'annecdotal' evidence and opt out of potentially harmful medicine, this should be my decision and not Health Canada's.
  48. Karin Green from Princeton, BC, Canada writes: Autism is just one of a whole range of developmental disorders that have been on the rise the late 1970's to the present. When I was raising my own children in the late 60's and 70's allergies and asthma were rare. Dyslexia, attention deficit disorder and autism were not part of the lexicon until the very late 70's and 80's. Now as I watch my grandchildren and their friends grow up these conditions have become the rule among children and not the exception. I look back and consider what has changed since my days as a young mother. Vitamin D deficiency is a new, but credible possibility among several. For me parental age looks like an important link. Women have a finite set of ova that are damaged in the process of ordinary life and it now appears that the sperm of older men is not above suspicion. Downs syndrome is visible proof of damaged genes. There is, very likely, much other genetic damage that is not visible. Environmental toxins, including mercury, appear to be more damaging to genetically susceptible individuals. We are surrounded by an industrial toxins and invite them into our lives willingly. The Fluorotelomers, such as Perfluorinated Carbokylic Acids (PCFA'S), reside in our non-stick cookware, the fire retardant we accept willingly in clothing and bedding, our stain resistant carpets and furniture, in lubricants: the list is endless. Animal research has shown these substances to be bio-accumulative and the cause of neurological damage in fetal development. PCFA's have proliferated globally in all animal life. These chemicals are under quiet scrutiny in the US and around the world. An Action Plan for Assessment of PFCA’S was announced in the Canada Gazette, June 17/06 but lately nothing more has been heard. PCAB'S are nearly permanent in our environment and may well represent our next evolutionary challenge. Try a Google search on PFCA; you will be amazed and shocked. It appears that our safety agencies have truly dropped the ball on this one!
  49. Michael Peter from Canada writes:
    I agree with Jane Doe. It is the consumer's choice.

    I think that autism is a vaccine injury. The vitamin D material is more smoke and mirrors to take our attention off the vaccines.

    The lack of transparency in Health Canada will be its downfall. HC, MOH, MOEand CCO are now political arms of government. If we are ever to prevent another SARS crisis, we need stand alone agencies run by true career scientists with no industry connections dedicated to the public health. 20 years ago government welcomed Big Pharma into its bosom. It has been downhill ever since.
  50. Joe More from New York, United States writes: JD, This report talks about Rhogam in depth. It will answer most of your questions.
    http://www.safeminds.org/pressroom/presreleases/ReviewMilesTakahashi6-20-07.pdf

    The evidence linking thimerosal to autism is not 'annecdotal'. In a paper published from John Hopkins (1) it was shown that tissue obtained from 100% of deceased autistic kids brains contained an active neuroinflammatory process. We now know that ethylmercury from vaccines deposits more inorganic mercury in the brain than equal doses of ingested methylmercury (2). There are at least 10 published papers that show inorganic mercury, in the brain, is the toxic agent that causes neuroinflammatory disease.

    (1) Vargus DL, Nascimbene C, Krishnan C, Zimmerman AW, Pardo Ca. 2005 Neuroglial activation and neuroinflamation in the brain of patients with autism. Annals of Neurology 57:67-81.

    (2) Burbacher T, Shen D, Liberato N, Grant K, Cernichiari E, Clarkson T. 2005. Comparison of blood and brain mercury levels in infant monkeys exposed to methylmercury or vaccines containing thimerosal. Environmental Health Perspectives. 113:1015-1021
  51. John Cannell, MD from Atascadero, United States writes: Both the brain and the blood of autistic individuals show evidence of ongoing chronic inflammation and oxidative stress. That is, the disease process is probably increasingly destructive. Hope for a nootropic effect for calcitriol (activated vitamin D) rests with its powerful anti-inflammatory properties. Calcitriol administration down-regulates production of inflammatory cytokines in the brain, which have consistently been associated with cognitive impairment. Furthermore, calcitriol is remarkably neuroprotective by stimulating neurotropin release, reducing toxic calcium levels in the brain, inhibiting the production of nitrous oxide, and by its immunomodulating properties– especially in reducing inflammatory cytokines – and by increasing brain glutathione. This last function of vitamin D, increasing cellular levels of glutathione, may explain the purported link between heavy metals, mercury, oxidative stress, and autism. For example, calcitriol attenuates heavy metal induced oxidative injuries in rat brain. The primary route for the neurotoxicity of most heavy metals, including mercury, is through depletion of glutathione and subsequent generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. Besides its function as a master antioxidant, glutathione acts as a chelating agent to remove heavy metals. Kern and Jones review several studies indicating autistic individuals have difficulty excreting heavy metals, especially mercury. If calcitriol deficient brains are unable to utilize glutathione properly, and thus unable to remove heavy metals, they may be oxidatively damaged by heavy metal loads normal children easily excrete, including mercury. It bears repeating that the amount of calcitriol in the brain directly depends on how much vitamin D is made in the skin or put in the mouth. Without adequate levels of calcitriol, the child is unable to efficiently excrete mercury.
  52. Expert Eel from Canada writes: John Cannell, MD from Atascadero, United States what you write makes Vitamin D sound more like a therapy instead of a preventative.

    Would you recommend Vitamin D as a therapy for autistic kids?
  53. Michael H from Edmonton, Canada writes: Joe More, you have presented a hypothesis and one that is much more clearly elaborated by John Cannell. Nothing that you have cited establishes your point. It does provide the basis for a hypothesis but it does not establish your point.
  54. michele martin from Canada writes: vran.org. for more info Jane Doe, also look at Jill James ( google it)
    There is still Them in R Vaccine. flu, and hep.
  55. michele martin from Canada writes: Trevor G. Marshall, PhD (b. 1948, Adelaide, South Australia), is a biomedical researcher. Over the last few decades, he has developed a medical intervention, dubbed the 'Marshall Protocol', which uses antibiotics, Angiotensin II receptor antagonist, avoidance of bright sunlight exposure and diet to treat a class of chronic diseases, which he argues are caused by L-form or cell wall deficient bacteria. His protocol is being used by physicians to treat diseases such as sarcoidosis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and rheumatoid arthritis.

    Marshall on Vit D. so who is right?

    There we have it: in-vitro, murine and in-vivo (PubMed 15531695) results all failed to show that Vitamin D is important in either causing or curing rickets, and further that calcium doesn't help either, unless adequate phosphorous is present.
  56. michele martin from Canada writes: Calciferol--also known as calcidiol or 25-hydroxycholecalciferol or 25-hydroxyvitamin-D or simply 25-D--is an inert, biologically inactive precursor of hormone D. It is produced in the liver from Vit D2 and Vit D3 and is the major circulating form of Vitamin D. It is the substance that is used to produce the hormone (in the kidneys) which is the biologically active form.

    Naturally occurring dietary sources of Vitamin D2 and D3 (especially fish, fish oils, liver, eggs), foods supplemented with Vitamin D (dairy products, cereals, processed foods) and vitamin supplements are the body's main source of calciferol (25-D). A small amount may be generated by exposure to sunlight.

    Some plants and fungi convert ergosterol (a plant sterol) into Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) in response to light and these plants can then be a minor nutritional source of calciferol for humans.

    Taking Vitamin D supplements/fish oils or eating foods high in Vitamin D will increase the level of 25-D.

    Calciferol (25-D) is measured in nanograms/milliliter. The metric measurement is nmol/L. Some labs measure both Vitamin D2 and D3 and then provide a total 25-D level.

    ...............

    'Unfortunately, one cannot rely on nutritionists to understand the actions of Cholecalciferol. They still call it a Vitamin. It is not, it is a steroid hormone precursor. All the evidence I am seeing indicates our body doesn't need it at all. All in all, the misclassification of Cholecalciferol (as a Vitamin) is likely to become one of the biggest debacles clinical science has ever made.'

    Dr. Trevor Marshall, PhD
  57. Wet Back In Canada from Canada writes: According to several reputable sources, there are absolutely NO CASES OF AUTISM in children who have not been vaccinated.

    If that is true, it pretty well ends the argument about causation.
  58. Leon Russell from Gatineau, Canada writes: Yeah, not sure where I read about it, but a doctor in Pennsylvania suddenly realized there were absolutely no autistic kids amongst his old order mennonite patients (who don't get vaccinated). The article should be easy to find.
  59. William Bailey from Ottawa, Canada writes: It's interesting how our attempts to protect ourselves from known dangers seem inevitably to expose us to unknown dangers. People stay out of the sun to avoid skin cancer, for example, and end up with vitamin D deficiency. We put fire retardant in household products to protect us from burns, and thereby expose ourselves to toxins. And then there's the question of vaccines to protect our children from diseases, and the unknown hazards they may represent.

    Oh, and michele above beat me to this, but for those seeking a natural source of vitamin D (apart from sunlight), there's always good old cod liver oil. Just ask your grandma. I've started taking it myself recently - it's not bad. Much less rancid than I remember.
  60. G E from Toronto, Canada writes: Michael H:

    I should definately clarify my statements on corruption in studies. I am not referring to lab studies, but the epidemiological, clinical trials, and almost any higher level study involving drugs or vaccines. These are almost all funded, and even run by Pharma, or the government organizations that are under fire. The government organizations FDA and CDC are littered with people who have serious conflicts of interest, and the employees commonly move between these organizations and big pharma.

    Almost every epidemiological study has been under the control of these organizations, because they control the data, and don't provide it to independent third parties.

    As for you comments regarding the upcoming changes, these are indeed troubling. Is this an artifact of the Conservative government?
  61. Woman of Reason from Vancouver, Canada writes: I've been the following the autism vaccine debate for a few years. From what I can tell, there really is considerable debate about the issue, even among reputable medical researchers. I feel sorry for new parents who have try and make sense of all of this as they try to do the best thing for their kids.

    Here's a quote from an artilce published in today's Guardian:

    'Seven academics at Cambridge University, six of them from its renowned Autism Research Centre, undertook the research by studying children at local primary schools. Two of the academics, leaders in their field, privately believe that the surprisingly high figure may be linked to the use of the controversial MMR vaccine. That view is rejected by the rest of the team, including its leader, the renowned autism expert, Professor Simon Baron-Cohen.'

    http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2121521,00.html
  62. Leon Russell from Gatineau, Canada writes: People have been giving birth in early spring for as long as I can remember. How does this explain the enormous rise in the rate of autism in recent years? As for cod liver oil, it must be expensive these days, as cod is a running out, as I understand it.
  63. Wayne Spitzer from Faywood, United States writes: Joe More - your numbers are interesting, but not meaningful. To given them meaning you need to include a volume, and because mercury is a cumulative poison, you also need to include a time period. For example, if you choose 1 ml as your volume unit, a person might easily drink a liter (1000 ml) of water in a day, or 30,000 ml of water in a month. If 2 ppb is a safe level of mercury in drinking water, than 60,000 units of mercury a month might be a safe level of consumption. If a vaccine is given as a 1 ml unit, and you get one vaccine a month, than 50,000 ppb of mercury in the vaccine would actually be safer than the 2 ppb of mercury in the drinking water. That said, because mercury is a poison, it would be a good idea to avoid it whenever possible.
  64. Vern Johnson from Prince George, Canada writes: As a retired physician (1996), and knowing that obstetrical ultrasounds are now so abused and overused since the 1970;s, and that this energy source very efficiently heats fluid within a closed space, I think one should be suspicious that cerebro-spinal fluid-heating within brain ventricles of the foetal brain would be far more likely than Vitamin D deficiency, to cause a direct harm to the foetal brain if there are not strict regulations on indications for ultrasound examinations and the duration of such examinations. Taking ultrasounds just to entertain parents or ascertain gender is not an indication and it is common knowledge that many such examinations are performed for this sole reason and it has to stop.

    Dr. V. A. Johnson
  65. Moji Byrd from Canada writes: Anyone ever thought it might be linked to all that crap you have to inject in your kid before they reach the age of five, so-called vaccination shots....hmmm
  66. S M from Canada writes: Dr. Johnson,

    I agree that ultrasounds are over-used however, how would you explain the 4:1 ratio between boys and girls on the spectrum?
  67. Edmund S from Canada writes: Ethyl mercury is a neurotoxic substance which, in small doses, is excreted by the body, leaving no harmful effect. As Dr Cannell states above, there is good reason to believe that some individuals - interestingly, many with ASD - may be predisposed to deficiencies in excreting heavy metals from the body owing to reduced glutathione levels. This doesn't support a causal relationship of ASD and thimerosol, but r