"Baby Teeth May Predict Autism" - Judy George
Zinc and copper metabolism cycles in the layers of baby teeth may be able to predict which children will develop autism spectrum disorder, a longitudinal analysis suggests. This is the first study to generate a 90 percent accurate fetal and early childhood biomarker of autism by tracking metabolic pathways over time and could lead to new diagnostic tools, reported Paul Curtin, PhD, assistant professor in the department of environmental medicine and public health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and colleagues in Science Advances. The study also represents a new direction in autism biomarker research, he added. While many studies have assessed exposure levels, this analysis examined cycles to see how metabolism might be disrupted. "With this research, we are shifting the focus to looking at metabolic cycles to understand how children are processing nutrients, as opposed to just looking at their exposure to toxicants."
- Paul Curtin, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Additional coverage:
Bioscience Technology
Medicine Net
Zinc and Copper Metabolic Cycles in Baby Teeth Linked to Autism
May 30, 2018 View All Press Releases