Autism in the US and Italy page

[Lewis]

Why is the incidence of autism so much lower in Italy than the US? One reason might be that thhey don't eat so much packaged food in Italy.

It seems mercury exposure is higher in the US. The reason why may well not be what you think:

A macroepigenetic approach to identify fact... [Clin Epigenetics. 2012] - PubMed - NCBI

A comparison of autism
prevalence between the U.S. and Italy using the
Mercury Toxicity Model suggests the increase in autism
in the U.S. is not related to mercury exposure from fish,
coal-fired power plants, thimerosal, or dental amalgam
but instead to the consumption of HFCS. Consumption
of HFCS may lead to mineral imbalances, including Zn,
Ca and P loss and Cu gain and is a potential source of
inorganic mercury exposure.

Our old friend HFCS ...

[BestBetter]

Wow, I had no idea there was mercury contamination in HFCS!

I spend part of the year living in Italy, since my husband is an Italian citizen and his family is there. I am always amazed when I go there that NOTHING contains HFCS. In fact, my husband had never heard of HFCS before he came to the US a few years ago.

All their sodas and candies use real sugar, there's not really much in the way of fast food, and what little junk food they do have is significantly better than the garbage we have here in the States. Recently, though, I've noticed that several Italian sodas in Italy have started using 'fructose-glucose syrup'. I'm a little worried about what the heck that is, because it sounds a little too close to HFCS for comfort, so I've been keeping away. I hope that whatever it is, it doesn't contain mercury!

[Lewis]

That sounds very much like HFCS under another name.

The study seems to finger the ability of these junk carbohydrates to disrupt mineral-balance more than anything. But, yeah, they do say HFCS is a source of Hg contamination.

America seems to have a more highly processed, denuded "non-real" food supply than anywhere else in the world. Australia seems to be catching up fast, though, and health statistics Down Under are getting frightening.

I think if the US doesn't put the brakes on soon, and call a few people to account, things can only get far worse.

What companies are doing is externalizing their costs. The food is cheap, because it's of garbage quality and costs little to produce. But society at large picks up the costs in the form of environmental degredation and healthcare cosys.

Not for me to say, as I'm not a US citizen, but I think if a president or Congress, or whoever it is, really wanted to start dealing with the problem, they'd take the dietary recommendations away from the Department of Agriculture and give it to to the NIH.

They've failed, and they have a conflict of interest anyway.

[Lewis]

Here's a link to notes on a lecture given by a top NIH scientist to a conference on depression held in Australia. This man has been looking at the connection between depression and omega-3 for 20 years, so he's a scientific heavyweight. Basically, he's saying the same as Professor Michael Crawford has been saying in Britain since the 1970s - that a decline in the popularity of seafood will come home to roost in the form of brain problems. But what he says not to eat is equally interesring.

Basically he's telling you to avoid everything the USDA would have you eat:

http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/...nalLecture.pdf

[NZ primal Gwamma]

Here's a link to notes on a lecture given by a top NIH scientist to a conference on depression held in Australia.
http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/...nalLecture.pdf

That is an interesting link Lewis. I find it unbelievable that we, in NZ have such a high incidence of Autism, ADD, ADHD, etc....
What to do about it ? Educate the masses. How? Thats the hard part.

[peril]

Nice find Lewis. The Black Dog (a nickname for depression) Institute is very prominent here due to high rates of suicide, particularly among rural men, where seafood consumption is very low

[Lewis]

That is an interesting link Lewis. I find it unbelievable that we, in NZ have such a high incidence of Autism, ADD, ADHD, etc....
What to do about it ? Educate the masses. How? Thats the hard part.

Yeah, I heard that.

It's kind of humbling for anyone coming from a a European cultural background to consider what the health of people living there was like before contact. Weston Price says earlier scientists had said the Maori were:

... the most physically perfect race living on the face of the earth.

Nutrition and Physical Degeneration: Chapter 12

The Maori ate plenty of seafood, of course:

It was particularly instructive to observe the diligence with which some of the isolated Maori near the coast sought out certain types of food in accordance with the tradition and accumulated wisdom of their tribes. As among the various archipelagos and island dwellers of the Pacific, great emphasis was placed upon shell fish. Much effort was made to obtain these in large quantities.

Price says elsewhere:

... it is authoritatively recorded regarding the Maori of New Zealand that they can see the satellites of Jupiter which are only visible to the white man's eye with the aid of telescopes. These people prove that they can see the satellites by telling the man at the telescope when the eclipse of one of the stars occurs.

Nutrition and Physical Degeneration: Chapter 10

Yet the descendants of Englishmen, Scots, etc., in possession of the same resources, just don't know how to eat to stay healthy.

[NZ primal Gwamma]

Wow Lewis, that is some interesting info. I will have to have a proper read when I have my morning coffee. Thank you
Gwamma

[Knifegill]

Yet the descendants of Englishmen, Scots, etc., in possession of the same resources, just don't know how to eat to stay healthy.

This is me. I ate moldy bread as a kid. Regularly. Our species is supposedly programmed to detect and avoid mold. I have absolutely NO natural discrimination when it comes to eating. I'm largely Irish, then Polish, Native American and mystery meat.