Vitamins & Supplements & genetic affects | Autism PDD

I was surprised to learn that vitamins have genetic affects and the influence of contaminants on autism. The following excerpts explain:

Some of these genetic affects are the following:

Vitamins repair damaged DNA, the genetic blue print that
determines who we are.
Vitamins prevent genetic defects, that cause diseases,
like spina bifida. High dose vitamins have been used to
treat more than 50 different genetic diseases.
Vitamins can substitute for lost genes. For example,
taking vitamin C compensates for the loss of the gene that
was responsible for producing vitamin C.
One way vitamins exert their genetic influence is by
acting as a coenzyme, a subtance that enhances the affect
of the enzyme produced from the gene.
Vitamins, also, exert their genetic influence by acting
as antioxidants that prevent free radicals from directly
attacking the enzyme produced from the gene.
Taking into consideration that a national survey found
that 60% of the US population had not taken one vitamin over
the past month, a child nutrition program could, not only
go a long way in improving the health and life of our
nation's children, but prevent or decrease serious life
threatening genetic damage and diseases as well.
Finally, such is the sensitivity of the body to vitamin
shortages, even marginal deficiencies in vitamin C were
found to result in increased irritablity and fatigue!
(Levine, M., Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences, 1996;93:3704-3709.)

Asthma, autism, attention
deficit and hyperactivity disorders (ADD and ADHD),
childhood brain cancer and acute lymphocytic leukemia have
all increased over the past 30 years. Five to ten percent
of American couples are infertile. Up to half of all
pregnancies end in miscarriage. Three to five percent of
babies are born with birth defects (CDC 2004, Jahnke et al.
2005, Trasande and Landrigan 2004). Scientists cannot fully
explain these increases, but early life exposure to
environmental pollutants is a leading suspect.

Autism	10X	increase early 80's -1996
Male Birth Defects	2X	increase hypospadias,1970-1993
Childhood Asthma	2X	increase 1982-1993
Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia	62%	increase in children,1973-1999
Childhood Brain Cancer	40%	increase 1973-1994
Preterm Birth	23%	increase mid 80's-2002
Infertility	5-10%	of couples
Birth Defects	3-5%	of all babies
Sperm Counts	1%	decrease yearly 1934-1996

Landrigan 2004, Jahnke et al. 2005

Of the 287 chemicals we detected in umbilical cord blood,
we know that 180 cause cancer in humans or animals, 217 are
toxic to the brain and nervous system, and 208 cause birth
defects or abnormal development in animal tests. The
dangers of pre- or post-natal exposure to this complex
mixture of carcinogens, developmental toxins and
neurotoxins have never been studied.

...Chemical exposures in the womb or during infancy can be
dramatically more harmful than exposures later in life.
Substantial scientific evidence demonstrates that children
face amplified risks from their body burden of pollution;

http://www.parenting-healthy-children.com/childnutritionprog ram.html

http://www.parenting-healthy-children.com/childnutrition.htm l

http://www.parenting-healthy-children.com/child-nutrition.ht ml

http://www.parenting-healthy-children.com/child-nutrition-pr ogram.html