Toxic Load
What is Toxic Load?
Toxic load (sometimes referred to as toxic burden) refers to the accumulation of different harmful chemicals in our bodies. These toxic chemicals can come from many different sources including our food, water, air pollution, personal care products, household products, and our environment.
Susceptibility to toxic overload varies person-to-person and can be impacted by various factors including genetics, environment & lifestyle, diet, gut microbiome composition and diversity, and immune system capacity.
Decreased Detox Ability in Autism
Research suggests that children with autism have increased levels of oxidative stress and lower antioxidant capacity [1]. This can reduce the ability to detox and excrete different chemicals and pollutants from the environment.
Glutathione, a master antioxidant, is often decreased in autism which may contribute to overall oxidative stress, immune dysfunction, and may lead to neurodevelopmental abnormalities [2, 3].
Those with autism also have a higher risk of genetic mutations, such as the MTHFR genetic mutation[4, 5], which plays an important role in detoxification.
For these reasons, children and adults with autism should reduce their exposure to different toxics in the environment to ultimately decrease their overall toxic load.
Contributors to Toxic Load
Environmental air pollution
Water contamination
Pesticides and herbicides
Can be inhaled or consumed via non-organic produce or unfiltered water
Plastics
Household products
Pharmaceuticals
Packaged foods
Cosmetic and personal products
Heavy metals
Next Steps
Diet
Choose all organic, non-GMO produce. If you’re unable to go completely organic, prioritize certain produce such as berries, leafy greens, and fruits & vegetables where you eat the skins.
You can also consult EWG's “Dirty Dozen” list, which lists the “dirtiest” produce each year. They also have the “Clean Fifteen”.
Drink filtered water
We suggest reverse osmosis (like AquaTru) or the Berkey.
AquaTru uses reverse osmosis to remove 82 toxic chemicals including lead, chromium 6, chlorine and chloramine, fluoride, pesticides and fertilizers, PFOA and PFOS, and others. [Aqua Tru link gives ANL Members $150 off]
Berkey uses a gravity-run special filter that remove over 99.99% of viruses, pathogenic bacteria, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, and countless more contaminants, all while, leaving in the minerals that your body needs!
Avoid ”foods” containing artificial ingredients such as:
Artificial colors and flavors
Preservatives and mold inhibitors
Supplements
Antioxidants
Glutathione can help bind toxins and heavy metals to excrete them.
Alpha-lipoic acid can renew other antioxidants in the body which promotes detox
Binders, such as G.I. Detox (includes activated charcoal and bentonite clay - use with the guidance of a healthcare provider)
*NOTE: Be sure to drink plenty of water because both activated charcoal and bentonite clay can be constipating!
Certain herbals that promote detoxification such as milk thistle
Lifestyle
Take Epsom Salt Baths each night to help with detox
Invest in a high-quality air filter, such as the Air Doctor (ANL members get $300 off with this link!)
If fertilizing your lawn, choose a non-toxic lawn treatment system like Sunday.
Opt-out of plastic and choose non-toxic options like glass, stainless steel, and silicone for food and beverage storage.
This will help avoid ingredients like phthalates and parabens
Choose non-toxic household products
Cleaning supplies
I prefer Branch Basics for everyday cleaning and Force of Nature for disinfectant
Instead of Swiffer, consider a steam mop (my personal favorite cleaning appliance!). All it needs is water, skip on the fragrance insert.
Laundry soaps + dryer sheets
Here’s a list of some good non-toxic detergent options
Try out dryer balls + pure essential oils instead of dryer sheets
Fragrance sprays
Our favorite non-toxic option is Grow Fragrance
Hand soaps
Here’s a list of non-toxic hand soaps
Cookware
Choose non-toxic cosmetic and personal products (my two favorite resources to find non-toxic products include EWG and Because Health)
Lotions, shampoos, conditioners
Deodorants, toothpastes
Makeup and other cosmetics
Sunscreen
Limit use of pharmaceuticals, especially Tylenol (see Research section for more details)
Consider sauna (ask your provider if it would be appropriate for your child)
DISCLAIMER: Before starting any supplement or medication, always consult with your healthcare provider to ensure it is a good fit for your child. Dosage can vary based on age, weight, gender, and current diet.
Toxic Load & Autism in the Research
Toxic Load & Chronic Disease
“With evidence growing for the huge contribution of environmental toxins to chronic disease, the need to help our patients decrease their toxic load has never been more urgent. Some of these toxins-such as DDT, PCBs, and cadmium-have half-lives ranging over a decade. Since so many are extremely difficult to breakdown or excrete, avoidance is critical. This editorial presents multiple strategies to decrease toxin exposure from air, food, and water.” [6]
Epidemic Answers is currently conducting the CHIRP Study to systematically gather information about the association of the accumulation of many stressors and exposures with pediatric chronic disease. As of December 2020 they are still recruiting - see if you qualify.
Toxic Load in Autism
Aluminum was found in extremely high concentrations in brain tissue of 5 individuals with autism (post-mortem). [7]
Clostridium perfringens, a bacteria that creates toxic genes, is thought to be associated with the GI complications in ASD which may affect the severity of the disorder. [8]
Air Pollution & Autism
Exposure to traffic-related air pollution, nitrogen dioxide, PM2.5, and PM10 during pregnancy and during the first year of life was associated with autism. [9]
Autistic children present higher levels of neuroinflammation and systemic inflammation, which are also hallmarks of exposure to traffic-related air pollution. [10]
Ambient air pollution is associated with an increased risk of autism. [11]
The time of fetal exposure to toxic chemicals can diversify autism development. [12]
Pesticides & Autism
Findings suggest that an offspring's risk of ASD increases following prenatal exposure to ambient pesticides within 2000 m of their mother's residence during pregnancy [13]
Infant exposure to pesticides could further increase risks for autism spectrum disorder with comorbid intellectual disability. [13]
Ingestion of glyphosate can reduce beneficial bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract microbiota without exerting any effects on the Clostridium population, which is highly resistant to this herbicide [14]
Pharmaceuticals & Autism
Cord biomarkers of fetal exposure to acetaminophen were associated with significantly increased risk of childhood ADHD and ASD [15]
The use of acetaminophen in babies and young children may be much more strongly associated with autism than its use during pregnancy [16]
Maternal use of valproate during pregnancy was associated with a significantly increased risk of autism spectrum disorder and childhood autism in the offspring, even after adjusting for maternal epilepsy [17]
In utero exposure to both SSRIs and non-selective monoamine reuptake inhibitors (tricyclic antidepressants) was associated with an increased risk of autism spectrum disorders [18]
-
[1] Manivasagam T, Arunadevi S, Essa MM, et al. Role of Oxidative Stress and Antioxidants in Autism. Adv Neurobiol. 2020;24:193-206.
[2] Chauhan A, Audhya T, Chauhan V. Brain region-specific glutathione redox imbalance in autism. Neurochem Res. 2012;37(8):1681-9.
[3] Rose S, Melnyk S, Pavliv O, et al. Evidence of oxidative damage and inflammation associated with low glutathione redox status in the autism brain. Transl Psychiatry. 2012;2:e134.
[4] El-Baz F, El-Aal MA, Kamal TM, Sadek AA, Othman AA. Study of the C677T and 1298AC polymorphic genotypes of MTHFR Gene in autism spectrum disorder. Electron Physician. 2017 Sep 25;9(9):5287-5293. doi: 10.19082/5287. PMID: 29038711; PMCID: PMC5633227.
[5] Shaik Mohammad N, Sai Shruti P, Bharathi V, Krishna Prasad C, Hussain T, Alrokayan SA, Naik U, Radha Rama Devi A. Clinical utility of folate pathway genetic polymorphisms in the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders. Psychiatr Genet. 2016 Dec;26(6):281-286. doi: 10.1097/YPG.0000000000000152. PMID: 27755291.
[6] Pizzorno J. Toxin Exposure Reduction. Integr Med (Encinitas). 2017 Dec;16(6):8-10. PMID: 30936809; PMCID: PMC6438086.
[7] Mold M, Umar D, King A, Exley C. Aluminium in brain tissue in autism. J Trace Elem Med Biol. 2018 Mar;46:76-82. doi: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2017.11.012. Epub 2017 Nov 26. PMID: 29413113.
[8] Alshammari MK, AlKhulaifi MM, Al Farraj DA, Somily AM, Albarrag AM. Incidence of Clostridium perfringens and its toxin genes in the gut of children with autism spectrum disorder. Anaerobe. 2020 Feb;61:102114. doi: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2019.102114. Epub 2019 Nov 5. PMID: 31704282.
[9] Volk HE, Lurmann F, Penfold B, Hertz-picciotto I, Mcconnell R. Traffic-related air pollution, particulate matter, and autism. JAMA Psychiatry. 2013;70(1):71-7.
[10] Costa LG, Chang YC, Cole TB. Developmental Neurotoxicity of Traffic-Related Air Pollution: Focus on Autism. Curr Environ Health Rep. 2017;4(2):156-165.
[11] Flores-pajot MC, Ofner M, Do MT, Lavigne E, Villeneuve PJ. Childhood autism spectrum disorders and exposure to nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matter air pollution: A review and meta-analysis. Environ Res. 2016;151:763-776.
[12] Sealey LA, Hughes BW, Sriskanda AN, et al. Environmental factors in the development of autism spectrum disorders. Environ Int. 2016;88:288-298.
[13] Von ehrenstein OS, Ling C, Cui X, et al. Prenatal and infant exposure to ambient pesticides and autism spectrum disorder in children: population based case-control study. BMJ. 2019;364:l962.
[14] Argou-cardozo I, Zeidán-chuliá F. Clostridium Bacteria and Autism Spectrum Conditions: A Systematic Review and Hypothetical Contribution of Environmental Glyphosate Levels. Med Sci (Basel). 2018;6(2)
[15] Ji Y, Azuine RE, Zhang Y, et al. Association of Cord Plasma Biomarkers of In Utero Acetaminophen Exposure With Risk of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder in Childhood. JAMA Psychiatry. 2019;:1-11.
[16] Parker W, Hornik CD, Bilbo S, et al. The role of oxidative stress, inflammation and acetaminophen exposure from birth to early childhood in the induction of autism. J Int Med Res. 2017;45(2):407-438.
[17] Christensen J, Grønborg TK, Sørensen MJ, et al. Prenatal Valproate Exposure and Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorders and Childhood Autism. JAMA. 2013;309(16):1696–1703. doi:10.1001/jama.2013.2270
[18] Rai D, Lee BK, Dalman C, Golding J, Lewis G, Magnusson C. Parental depression, maternal antidepressant use during pregnancy, and risk of autism spectrum disorders: population based case-control study. BMJ. 2013;346:f2059.
Authors
Brittyn Coleman, MS, RDN/LD, CLT
