Autism, Environment, and Prenatal Vitamins: What's the Connection?
Have you heard the latest news about autism? Healthy Child, Healthy World announced this month that a new scientific study links autism to environmental exposures.
Healthy Child, Healthy World reports:
On Monday, the story broke that researchers at the University of California at San Francisco and Stanford University conducted a study of 192 pairs of twins and found that genetics account for about 38 percent of the risk of autism, and environmental factors account for about 62 percent. The study will be published in November in the November issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.
If you've needed some motivation to live a greener lifestyle, I hope this information is helpful to you! Autism is America's fastest growing disability with 1 in every 100 children affected (1 in every 70 boys). Although the link between environmental exposures and autism is not surprising to me, it is a very loud reminder that we are doing the right thing by prioritizing living as greenly as possible. Of course, we can't control so much of how the environment affects us, but that just makes it all the more important to take control of the aspects of the environment's impact on our families that we do have power over.
Besides, living as greenly as possible, what else can we do to decrease the risk of autism in our families?
Healthy Child, Healthy World also reports:
Meanwhile, a study published this month in the journal Epidemiology showed that taking prenatal vitamins at the time of conception decreased the risk of autism in children by almost half, Environmental Health News reported. This is another critical study emphasizing how small lifestyle changes can have huge impacts.
For some easy ways to reduce the affects of environmental exposures on your family, please check out the following:5 Easy Steps for Creating a Healthier Home
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If you are interested in learning more about autism:I am currently doing a joint giveaway of the book, Lonely Girl, Gracious God: A Mother’s Story of Autism’s Devastation & God’s Promise of Enduring Love, with Natural Parents Network.Enter to win 1 of 2 copies or purchase the book yourself for a window into the affects of autism on a family.
Are you surprised by this news? Does it impact your lifestyle choices at all?
