Vitamin D and Your Health Autism
Autism Information
Due to its scope, autism is a topic which begets a certain sense of urgency. Vitamin D Council would like to act on that urgency by increasing the accessibility of information which could one day prove pivotal in bringing an end to the growing epidemic.
It is plausible that vitamin D deficiency is a major contributing factor to the onset and progression of autism. Though only still a theory, first put forth by Vitamin D Council Executive Director Dr. John Cannell, the idea of a major role for vitamin D in the etiology of autism is gaining momentum. From Harvard scientists to Swedish research teams, more and more scientists are examining the possible link between vitamin D deficiency and autism in the hopes that Cannell's theory will hold up against scientific scrutiny — what would herald the discovery of a simple, natural solution to an increasingly-common, and very tragic, condition.
Listed below are links to the information on vitamin D and autism that our site has to offer, as well as to the latest studies as published in medical journals.
Quick info: To lower risk of autism, Dr. Cannell recommends at least 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 per day for pregnant women. For autistic children, Dr. Cannell recommends at least 2,000 IU of vitamin D3 per every 25 pounds of body weight per day, with frequent monitoring of 25(OH)D, targeting 100 ng/mL (250 nmol/L).
The Vitamin D Theory of Autism
Read Dr. Cannell's Vitamin D Theory of Autism, published on our site in May of 2007.
Autism Articles and Updates
Further writings by Dr. Cannell about his theory.
- 2010.04 Update on Autism and Vitamin D
- 2009.09 New Harvard Paper on Autism
- 2008.10 Vitamin D in Pediatrics
Real-life Experiences and Case Reports
Readers share their experiences with autism and are provided with insight as to vitamin D's involvement in the condition.
- 2010.05 Vitamin D Questions and Answers: International Edition
- 2010.04 Even More Vitamin D Questions and Answers
- 2010.04 Update on Autism and Vitamin D
- 2010.02 More Letters on Autism
- 2010.01 Another Autism Case Report
- 2009.03 All Things Vitamin D
- 2008.06 A Mother, Her Autistic Son, and Vitamin D
- 2007.08 The Tragedy of Autism and the Promise of Vitamin D
Published Papers on Autism
Dr. Cannell's published manuscripts on autism and vitamin D.
- 2010.05 On the Aetioloy of Autism (PDF download)
- 2007.10 Autism and vitamin D (offsite)
Autism Research
Links to recent studies and papers on vitamin D's relation to autism as published in the medical journals (offsite).
- 2010.06
- Reduced serum levels of 25-hydroxy and 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D in Egyptian children with autism
- 2010.05
- Serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in mothers of Swedish and of Somali origin who have children with and without autism
- 2010.01
- Environmental risk factors for autism: do they help cause de novo genetic mutations that contribute to the disorder?
- 2009.07
- Epidemiologic evidence supporting the role of maternal vitamin D deficiency as a risk factor for the development of infantile autism