Biomarkers for tracking metabolic changes pre-post nutritional epigenetics diet/intervention for children with autism and ADHD

Abstract:

The prevalence of autism and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) varies geographically and is increasing worldwide. Numerous factors are involved in the epigenetic inheritance of these disorders to include nutritional deficits and prenatal exposures to chemicals in the ultra-processed food supply and environment.  Nutritional deficits and dietary chemicals can alter or modify the expression of the metallothionein (MT) gene and impact its behavior creating conditions for the bioaccumulation of heavy metals in the blood of infants and children with autism or ADHD. Children all over the world suffer from autism and ADHD and have difficulty metabolizing and excreting heavy metals, especially mercury and lead. The severity of their symptoms is directly associated with oxidative stress and the heavy metal levels measured in their blood. Nutritional epigenetics is an emerging area of medicine where practitioners may study the effects of nutrients and dietary chemicals on gene expression.  Understanding how MT gene expression occurs from a nutritional epigenetics point of view may help the practitioner develop a diet intervention to mitigate or reduce the symptoms associated with autism and ADHD in children or prevent the disorders from developing during pregnancy.  Specific biomarkers may be collected pre- and post-nutritional epigenetics diet/intervention to monitor metabolic changes that occur with autism and ADHD development and symptomology.

Audience Takeaway: 

•    Audience will develop an awareness of the problem of heavy metal residues in the food supply and how these metals may impact gene behavior leading to the development of autism or ADHD across generations
•    The audience may be inspired to teach parents how to avoid dietary heavy metal exposures 
•    Physicians will become aware of the available nutritional epigenetics curriculum and a protocol for biomarker collection to track changes in heavy metal levels that occur with dietary changes
•    Researchers may see the value of using nutritional epigenetics education as an intervention tool when designing clinical trials to determine how processed food consumption leads to the development of different disease conditions
 

Biography:

Dr. Dufault completed her PhD at A.T. Still University. She retired early from her position as a US Public Health Service officer at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to publish her findings of mercury in high fructose corn syrup. As an FDA whistleblower, she could not find employment as a researcher, so she founded the non-profit Food Ingredient and Health Research Institute where she works as a volunteer. She supplements her income working as a licensed special education teacher. Dr. D is considered a leader in the field of nutritional epigenetics with 726 citations according to Google Scholar.