Harmful health effects can result from the consumption of food ingredients that lead to alterations in epigenetic functioning.  Epigenetics refers to the study of how genes are regulated or expressed by methyl donating nutrients such as folic acid, B vitamins and SAM-e, a form of methionine (1).  It is the study of the functional expression of genes excluding changes in the underlying DNA sequences of genes. Gene expression modulates fetal and child development (2, 3, 4).   Human development can be adversely impacted when gene expression is altered by dietary transcription factors such as zinc insufficiency or deficiency (5).   Zinc fingers, chemical compounds containing zinc, are specific in their role as epigenetic transcription and post-transcription factors involved in gene regulation.  Zinc is an important nutrient required to support gene expression. (5).

Several human studies have shown that consumption of certain food additives can lead to zinc loss and/or deficiency (6, 7, 8).  With diets deficient in zinc, expectant mothers are more likely to give birth to babies with neurodevelopmental disorders such as those found in the autism spectrum.  One powerful review article published in October 2009 in the BioMed Central's free access Behavioral and Brain Functions journal discusses how consumption of certain food additives can lead to zinc and selenium loss and increase susceptibility to the adverse effects of environmental mercury exposure (9).  

In addition to the dietary factors briefly discussed here, gene expression is altered by exposure to toxic substances found in our environment such as mercury and organophosphate pesticides (10, 11).  All you have to do to be exposed to these two particular toxic substances is breathe air and eat conventionally grown food (12, 13, 14, 15, 16). There are now several widely accepted publications that highlight the role of environmental mercury and/or organophosphate pesticide exposures in the development of a autism, ADHD and pervasive developmental delay (9, 17, 18, 19, 20).  The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends reducing exposure to all forms of mercury in pregnant women and children (21) but has not yet come out with a consensus statement on organophosphate pesticides.  It has become clear that chronic low-level exposures to both mercury and organophosphate pesticides must be avoided by women and children.  Many food ingredients are contaminated with mercury.  More research is needed to determine which food products are contaminated with mercury and/or organophosphate pesticides.

To see the percentage change in the number of children provided special education services under the Autism category from 2005-2009 click on this link Increase in Autism from 2005-2009.pdf

References:

(1). James SJ, Cutler P, Melnyk S, Jernigan S, Janak L, Gaylor DW and Neubrander JA, 2004. Metabolic Biomarkers of Increased Oxidative Stress and Impaired Methylation Capacity in Children with Autism. Am J Clin Nutr, 80: 1611 - 1617. http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/80/6/1611

(2). University of Utah, Genetic Science Learning Center. 2010.  Nutrition and the Epigenome. http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/epigenetics/nutrition/

(3). Edwards TM, Myers JP, 2007. Environmental Exposures and Gene Regulation in Disease Etiology.   Environ Health Perspect 115(9): doi:10.1289/ehp.9951 http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.9951

(4). Ramos RG, Olden K, 2008. Gene-Environment Interactions in the Development of Complex Disease Phenotypes. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 5(1), 4-11. http://mdpi.org/ijerph/papers/ijerph2008050001.pdf

(5). Hambidge M, 2000. Human Zinc Deficiency. J Nutr 2000 May;130(5S Suppl):1344S-9S. http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/130/5/1344S

(6). Ivaturi R, Kies C, 1992. Mineral Balances in Humans as Affected by Fructose, High-Fructose Corn Syrup, and Sucrose.  Plant Foods for Hum Nutr, 42(2):143-151.

(7). Ward NI, Soulsbury K, Zettel VH, Colquhoun ID, Bunday S, Barnes B, 19990. The Influence of the Chemical Additive Tartrazine on the Zinc Status of Hyperactive Children-A Double-Blind Placebo Controlled Study. J Nutr Med, 1:51-57.

(8). Ward NI, 1997. Assessment of Chemical Factors in Relation to Child Hyperactivity. J Nutr Environ Med, 7:333-342.

(9).  Dufault R, Schnoll R, Lukiw, WJ, LeBlanc B, Cornett C, Patrick L, Wallinga D, Gilbert S, Crider R, 2009. Mercury Exposure, Nutritional Deficiencies and Metabolic Disruptions May Affect Learning in Children. Behavioral and Brain Functions, 5:44doi:10.1186/1744-9081-5-44 http://www.behavioralandbrainfunctions.com/content/5/1/44

(10). Herbert, MR, 2010. Contributions of the Environment and Environmentally Vulnerable Physiology to Autism Spectrum Disorders. Current Opinion in Neurology, 23(2):103-110.    http://journals.lww.com/co-neurology/Abstract/2010/04000/Contributions_of_the_environment_and.4.aspx

(11). Eskenazi B, Huen K, Marks A, Harley KG, Bradman A, et al, 2010. PON1 and Neurodevelopment in Children from the CHAMACOS Study Exposed to Organophosphate Pesticides in Utero. Environ Health Perspect doi:10.1289/ehp.1002234 http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.1002234

(12).  Sunderland, E. M., D. P. Krabbenhoft, J. W. Moreau, S. A. Strode, and W. M. Landing, 2009). Mercury Sources, Distribution, and Bioavailability in the North Pacific Ocean: Insights from Data and Models, Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 23, GB2010, doi:10.1029/2008GB003425 http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2009/2008GB003425.shtml

(13). United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service, Pesticide Data Program http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/ams.fetchTemplateData.do?template=TemplateC&navID=PesticideDataProgram&rightNav1=PesticideDataProgram&topNav=&leftNav=&page=PesticideDataProgram&resultType=&acct=pestcddataprg

(14). Barr DB, Bravo R, Weerasekera G, Caltabiano LM, Whitehead RD Jr., et al., 2003. Concentrations of Dialkyl Phosphate Metabolites of Organophosphorus Pesticides in the U.S. Population. Environ Health Perspect, 112(2): doi:10.1289/ehp.6503 http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.6503

(15). Lu C, Toepel K, Irish R, Fenske RA, Barr DB, et al., 2006. Organic Diets Significantly Lower Children's Dietary Exposure to Organophosphorus Pesticides. Environ Health Perspect, 114(2):doi:10.1289/ehp.8418 http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.8418

(16). Lu C, Barr DB, Pearson MA, Waller LA, 2008. Dietary Intake and Its Contribution to Longitudinal Organophosphorus Pesticide Exposure in Urban/Suburban Children. Environ Health Perspect, 116(4): doi:10.1289/ehp.10912 http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.10912

(17). Harari R, Julvez J, Murata K, Barr D, Bellinger DC, et al., 2010. Neurobehavioral Deficits and Increased Blood Pressure in School-Age Children Prenatally Exposed to Pesticides. Environ Health Perspect, 118(6): doi:10.1289/ehp.0901582 http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.0901582

(18). Palmer R, Blanchard S, Stein Z, Mandell D, Miller C, 2006. Environmental Mercury Release, Special Education Rates, and Autism Disorder: An Ecological Study of Texas. Health Place, 12:203-209. http://www.generationrescue.org/pdf/seed.pdf

(19). Bourchard MF, Bellinger DC, Wright RO, Weisskopf MG, 2010. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and urinary metabolites of organophosphate pesticides. Pediatrics, 125(6):e1270-7 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20478945?dopt=Abstract

(20).  Grandjean P, Harari R, Barr DB, and Debes F, 2006. Pesticide Exposure and Stunting as Independent Predictors of Neurobehavioral Deficits in Ecuadorian School Children. Pediatrics, 117: e546 - e556   http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/117/3/e546

(21). Goldman LR, Michael W. Shannon MW, and the Committee on Environmental Health, 2001. Technical Report: Mercury in the Environment: Implications for Pediatricians. Pediatrics, 108: 197 - 205.    http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/108/1/197

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