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Gut Microorganisms and Autism: the Latest Research |
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We have collected many research articles to show that the toxins found
in microorganisms play an important role in the suspected causes of ASD,
in particular, lipopolysaccharide ( LPS) the bacterial toxins from gram
negative bacteria that inhabit the guts of autistic children.
LPS
toxicity works synergistically with mercury and other heavy metal
poisonings to expand damage. These heavy metals increase harm from
LPS.[1]
In addition, LPS decreases glutathione
levels making it even more difficult for the body to detoxify heavy
metals.[2] One explanation for why symptoms of mercury are so similar to the symptoms of LPS could be the fact that mercury inhibits carbohydrate absorption in the gut. Unabsorbed food does not get into the blood stream quickly; when it remains in the gut, it becomes available as a food supply for bacteria. Consequently, gram negative bacteria multiply and produce LPS. [3] This raises a strong suspicion that some of the symptoms commonly attributed to mercury could be directly caused by LPS and only indirectly by mercury. LPS also renders toxins from Candida Albicans more damaging.[4] The poisonous effects of LPS are so potent that they produce symptoms of autism even without the help of Candida Albicans and heavy metals. All collected experiments on the following website involve laboratory mice injected with only LPS and exhibiting the same symptoms as those in ASD. LPS induces a depressive syndrome, characterized by anhedonia, anorexia, body weight loss, and reduced locomotor, exploratory, and social behavior. This result has been replicated so many times by different research studies that the names, "Sickness Behavior" and "Endotoxemia" are now applied to this condition. [5][6][7] The mission of this website is to collect and display links to some of the available research articles from PubMed, a service from the National Library of Medicine and the National Institute of Health, that link LPS to the varied and diverse symptoms of ASD. We were able to find and collect experiments for almost every possible neurological and biological symptom of ASD in order to prove that most symptoms of ASD, have a corresponding experiment on Medline that proves each is a symptom of LPS toxicity. The articles on this website are just a tiny fraction of the available research The amount of evidence is overwhelmoing, for example, performing a search for "hippocampus lps", in PubMed will retrieve 222 citations. The number of similarities between ASD and LPS toxicity is sufficiently impressive to demand attention and cannot be ignored. The following are symptoms of LPS poisoning; these symptoms are also found in children with autism: BRAIN
Reductions in oligodendrocyte or myelin markers EMOTIONS AND BEHAVIOR
Anxiety DIGESTIVE
Weight loss IMMUNE FUNCTION
Increase in TNF alpha. OTHER
Low Levels of Thyroid Researchers at the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute found clear differences in cellular responses between autistic children and neurotypical children following exposure to LPS, bean lectin and bacterial agents. At the Institute this was discovered to be a major and important difference between children with ASD and typical children.[8] "Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is localized at the exterior leaflet of the outer membrane and serves as the major surface component of the bacterial cell envelope. This remarkable glycolipid is essential to virtually all Gram-negative organisms and represents one of the conserved microbial structures responsible for activation of the innate immune system. For these reasons, the structure, function, and biosynthesis of LPS has been an area of intense research."[9] The majority of the research articles involve mice or humans displaying symptoms of toxemia after being given an injection of LPS. Another method to assess the important influence of bacterial toxins is to observe the changes in ASD children after removal of the neurotoxin-producing bacteria. Both Vancomycin and the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) are treatments for removal of bacteria. Both treatments produce a decrease in the symptoms of ASD. However, the changes from vancomycin were only short term because the bacteria develop a resistance to the medication. Changes from SCD diet are more powerful because they are long lasting. Even adults with ASD who live in group homes have been shown to lose many of their symptoms after being on the diet. SCD now also eliminates beans during the early months of the diet and encourages parents to only use beans later provided there are no adverse reactions. UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute reports in its findings concerning the reaction of autistic children to LPS, bacterial agents and lectin from beans "may lead to significant advances in the early detection, prevention and treatment of this complex neurological disorder."[8] We are in total agreement, and offer as our own evidence, scientific articles and many positive results from using a diet that eliminates neurotoxin-producing bacteria and fosters intestinal healing. In view of the research, we have to consider Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) a poison, as toxic as mercury and other heavy metals, LPS has drastic consequences for those in the ASD Community. Fortunately, dramatic improvements may result after its removal.
Increasing awareness of LPS to doctors, researchers and parents, will hopefully result in an increase in recovery rates for autism. The links on the upper side of this website provide comprehensive research about LPS from around the world. References
[1]
Rumbeiha WK, Fitzgerald SD, Braselton WE, Roth RA, Kaneene JB:
Potentiation of mercury-induced nephrotoxicity by endotoxin in the Sprague-Dawley rat. Toxicology. 2000 Aug 21;149(2-3):75-87. |