Study Shows Mother’s of Autistic Children Has Similar Biochemical Patterns

Study Shows Mother’s of Autistic Children Has Similar Biochemical Patterns

A recent study from Dr. Jill James found significant similarities in biomedical markers commonly found in autistic children compared to their mothers, suggesting a consistent underlying genetic susceptibility. These markers are S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH), glutathione (GSH/GSSG) and S-adenosylmethionine (SAM).

Of the case mothers (those with an Autistic child), 54% had elevated SAH levels or a decreased SAM/SAH ratio and were 7.3 to 10.7 more likely to be the mother of an autistic child. Of those case mothers who had a decrease in glutathione levels, their risk increased 15.2 fold. Furthermore, 41% of case mothers had abnormalities in all three markers and were 46 times more likely to have a child with autism.

Although the study was small, the findings were significant and needs to be replicated on a larger scale. I was introduced to this study last year before it was published and I quickly incorporated it into my “parent screening” for mothers who are scared to have children due to the risk of autism. If you are a mother planning on getting pregnant, please let’s do some simple screening and preparation so that we can identify if you are at risk. Contact my office for further details.