Older Fathers May be More Likely to Have Autistic Children

September 21, 2006

Men who father children when they are 40 or older are significantly more likely to have autistic children than younger fathers.

A study of 130,000 Israelis born in the 1980s showed that those with older fathers were almost 600 percent more likely to be autistic than those with fathers under 30, and more than half again as likely to be autistic as those with fathers aged 30-39.

The study was based on information collected when, at 17; Israeli boys and girls are assessed for military eligibility.

Previous research has also commented paternal age with lower intelligence scores and schizophrenia. Sperm mutate more often in older men, which may account for the increased risk of brain abnormalities.

Archives of General Psychiatry September 2006; 63: 1026-1032

USA Today September 4, 2006

http://www.mercola.com/2006/sep/21/older_fathers_may_be_more_likely_to_have_autistic_children.htm

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

The study lends some support to the theory that there may be a genetic contribution that could lead to the development autism, but there are many other potential and far more common causes of autism as well, such as mercury-containing vaccines.

Studies have found that children who receive thimerosal-containing vaccinations are 27 times more likely to develop autism than children who do not. It is nearly incomprehensible to me that the well-documented, toxic mercury-containing preservative thimerosal is still in many vaccines, years after federal agencies have mandated that thimerosal be removed from the hepatitis vaccine.

Now I know that may sound like heresy for some of you. I would be skeptical to if someone told me that before I studied natural medicine. But if this sounds too far out there, you really owe to your children to study the issue more carefully as there is plenty of solid scientific support for this assertion.

Mercury is a potent neurotoxin. Injecting it into a child, whose nervous system is rapidly developing, could have terrible consequences.

Pasteurized milk is another potential factor that can impair brain development in a growing infant. The pasteurization process turns casein into a potentially dangerous molecule that can further precipitate brain injury. If the children are fed real raw milk this can be avoided.

If you're unable to find a local source for raw milk, one of the finest sources of calcium available for humans, visit the Real Milk site to find a provider close to you. You can also review this link for raw milk availability and restrictions by state. As Sally Fallon of the Weston A. Price Foundation notes, grass-fed cows, rather than those stuck in pens eating corn, are your healthiest, pathogen-free sources for raw milk.

Fortunately in ALL states farmers can drink unpasteurized milk from their own cows. In fact, there is no law against anyone drinking raw milk, just against selling it in some states. You can purchase raw milk in stores in 8 states: CA, AZ, NM, ME, PA, WA, SC, CT. You can also go to realmilk.com to find a source for raw milk nearest you.

An excess of grains, juices, processed foods and a lack of omega-3 fats also accelerate potential brain injury in susceptible or partially brain injured children.

The good news is that when one pays attention to these factors and aggressively incorporates these changes, miracles can occur and autism can be reversed. I know this for a fact because I have coached many dozens of parents to help their children recover from this injury.