“In a landmark study, researchers at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and McMaster University have found that providing clinical (low) doses of penicillin to pregnant mice and their offspring results in long-term behavioural changes.
These changes include elevated levels of aggression and lower levels of anxiety, accompanied by characteristic neurochemical changes in the brain and an imbalance in their gut microbes. Giving these mice a lactobacillus strain of bacteria helped to prevent these effects.”
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-04-low-dose-penicillin-early-life-long-term.html
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-04-low-dose-penicillin-early-life-long-term.html
Reference to Nature Communications doesn’t work for me :-/
Ah, nevermind. Seems the server is down. Will try later.
The study’s digest doesn’t actually say anything about autism or ADHD. What was said is that preliminary tests has a corolative link to aggression as well as a causal link to obesity and dietary intolerance.
Dude, you are only giving ammo to the anti-vaxxer movement when you summarize studies this sloppily. Don’t do it
Oh, and while we’re here.. the real autism-chemical is probably the lead in your drinking water… just so you know
Haile Carson Antibiotics (against bacterial infections) and vaccines (virus resistance) are very different. The gut is a very complex collection of bacteria, and we are only starting to see the gut’s impact on body and brain chemistry. I am not against the use of antibiotics, but it is a well known fact that they are overused, and that they do impact gut bacteria.
Lars Fosdal I know there’s a difference but when you make a connection to autism that isnt actually there, the anti-science demogogues will use it to kill more children
I think it’s fairly well established by now that there hasn’t been an uptick in autism over last century, just a rise in the number of people diagnosed. Saying that antibiotics cause autism spectrum disorders would thereby require a sharp rise in cases that never existed.
Lars Fosdal that’s not how anti-vaxxers think
You are both right. I removed my unfounded speculative comment.
Haile Carson
Do you have any research that indicates autism is caused by lead in drinking water?
Folmer Fredslund Nature’s server is up now.
Folmer Fredslund nope, wild speculation informed by the fact that high lead levels in childhood has a well documented link to other neurological and behavioral issues.
Difference is I’m not trying to make my wild assertion sound legit
Haile Carson My “wild assertion” was clearly marked as a question. Speculation it was, and I will still speculate – but only in silence.
What we ingest, affects the gut, and with it our body and brain chemistry. More research on this will hopefully yield some less wild and speculative conclusions.
Lars Fosdal preach, brother. unfortunately the EPA will likely be unable to fund such a study. there’s more than enough data over the last 40 years on lead poisoning.
Personally I believe we are actually selecting for the DNA that causes autism. I think we are evolving and should, instead of pursuing the sisyphian task of curing something that is likely not actually an ailment, we should be evolving our system to manage the unique neurological makeup of the more challenged of us
Haile Carson As always, it is rarely one single factor. How we bring up our kids have also changed a lot since the 1950’s. The TV is a great pacifier and sugar a great comforter. The various chemicals that were in widespread use before we became aware of their hormonal side effects, carcinogenous attributes, or general harm to our systems. We are indeed evolving – hopefully in the right direction. At least there seems to be a better awareness that no system exists in separation from the rest. As for the EPA’s future abilities. I guess we know who to thank for those.
Mmmm