• Problems breast-feeding - Often associated with vitamin B12 deficiency in the mother

• Premature birth - Often is associated with poor nutrition in the womb

• Tongue Tie - Often associated with poor nutrition in the womb, particularly folate and B12

• Low weight for age - Often is associated with poor nutrition in the womb

• Problems sleeping - Associated with vitamin B12 deficiency

• Hypotonia - Associated with vitamin B12 and/or iron deficiency

• Child does not respond to name

• Child will not turn towards a sound - Poor auditory processing is common in ASD - due to delayed myelination of the hippocampus (Bauman and Kemper, 2985) potentially due to deficiency in vitamin B12 and vitamin D

• Child will not look directly at an object - Poor ability to focus on an object with two eyes due to lack of myelination in the hippocampus.

• Slow development of speech and receptive language - Delayed myelination of Brocca's region in the brain, due to deficiency in vitamin B12 and vitamin D.

• Poor social interactions - Delayed myelination of the Pre-Frontal Cortex due to deficiency in vitamin B12 and vitamin D.

• Environmental noise intolerance

• Poorly developed fine motor skills Delayed myelination of Brocca's region in the brain, due to deficiency in vitamin B12 and vitamin D.

• Slow to crawl

• Slow to walk

• Toe walking - may indicate poor neurodevelopment and poor sensory processing. Poor development of Purkinje cells in the brain. Low vitamin D.

• Walks with straight legs

• Delayed potty training Delayed myelination due to iron, B12 and vitamin D deficiency(ies)

• Anti-social behaviour

• Repetitive movements

• Self-injury

• Aggression

• Tantrums

• Poor verbal communication

• Poor non-verbal conversation skills

• Anxiety

• Stress

• Picky eating and food intolerance

Warning signs of developmental delay - Facial Dysmophias

A study in 2011 identified a number of facial dysmorphias, which were more common in children with autism. Clearly such characteristics must have arisen within the womb, and suggest nutritional deficiency in utero, in a similar way that folate deficiency has been associated with spina bifida.

These Dysmorphias include;

• A prominent forehead

• Wide-set eyes

• Tufts of irregular hair on the head

• Prominent ears

• Deeply set eyes

• Emotionless faces

• Open-mouthed appearance

Using the above characteristics the researchers were able to accurately diagnose autism in over 90% of cases (Ozgen et al, 2011)

 

Milestones

 

Foetal Loading of the Brain

The nutritional deficiencies that ultimately lead to developmental delay occur due to deficiencies, in the mother during pregnancy (see sections on vitamin B2, B12, iron, and vitamin D).

Iron Loading of the foetus. The majority of iron loading of the foetus (more than 80% ) is acquired during the third trimester of pregnancy, and loading of the fetus averages 75 mg of elemental iron per kilogram of body weight. Iron is accumulated via active transport from the mother, which endeavors to protect the foetus from alterations in maternal iron status, particularly in maternal iron insufficiency. Evidence suggests that the foetus is involved in regulating the active transport system for iron (presumably across the placenta) and is able to concentrate iron at the expenses of the mother's iron status. At some stage, thought the maternal iron status can be so low that the active transport system is insufficient, and hence iron deficiency can lead to poor foetal brain development (Georgieff, 2023a; Ataide, et al, 2023). Reduced foetal iron has been associated with hypomyelination, poor processing speed, reduced learning and capacity to learn, poor maternal infant bonding (Georgieff, 2023b).

Vitamin B12 loading of the brain.This occurs during foetal development, with up-regulation of the placental transcobalamin/B12 transport system. As much as 17% of the transplacentally derived vitamin B12 enters the foetal brain!! This process is essential for proper brain development and function. Vitamin B12 plays a critical role in myelination (the protective sheath around nerve fibers that increases the conduction speed of the neurons), and neurotransmitter synthesis. Vitamin B12 is essential for creatine production which is essential for energy transfer within the cell. Deficiency of vitamin B12 leads to lower birth weight, preterm babies, increased infant mortality, delayed physical and mental development.

Vitamin D and the Brain: Vitamin D plays a critical role in fetal development, particularly in the brain, where it is essential for neuronal differentiation and myelination. High levels of vitamin D receptors are found in regions of the brain such as the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and Brocca's region. These areas are responsible for language, memory cognitive function and the development of fine motor skills. Children with low vitamin D may experience neurocognitive difficulties, have eating disorders, poor bone health and gestational or neonatal vitamin D deficiency has been linked to an increased risk of neurodevelopmental orders such as autism (Hart etal, 2015; Andrew etal, 2012). Maternal vitamin D insufficiency during pregnancy is significantly associated with offspring language impairment (Andrew etal, 2012), and low vitamin D has been associated with behavioural problems such as those that are common in autism (Eyles 2020).

 

Nutritional Deficiencies and Delayed Development in Autism

Developmental delays and problems during development can be dependent upon which deficiencies that the child has, and which metabolic pathways are affected. This then contributes to the "Spectrum" of the disorders. Hence, there will be an increase in the number and types of symptoms/characteristics that are observed in overt B12 deficiency and comparison to functional vitamin B12 deficiency, when combined with B2/iron/vitamin D deficiency.

Production of Melatonin is critically dependent upon functional B12 sufficiency, and lack of melatonin is associated with poor sleep, poor gut health and food intolerance, and lack of myelination, thereby causing delays in ability to sit, crawl, stand, walk and delays in potty training. Myelination is essential for the development of speech, and delays in myelination are associated with neurodevelopmental retardation.

Production of the intracellular energy transfer molecule, creatine is also dependent upon functional B12 sufficiency and lack of creatine alone causes many of the symptoms of autism and will contribute to hypotonia (floppy baby syndrome), and neurodevelopmental delays (Incecik et al, 2010)

Overt vitamin B12 deficiency is commonly associated with a vegan or vegetarian diet in the mothers or can be the result of the use of nitrous oxide during labor (Ljungblad; 2022). It has also been associated with tremor and motor seizures within the first two months of life.

In Methylcobalamin deficiency, there is an overproduction of serotonin, dopamine and nor-adrenalin, which then leads to anxiety, stress and depression

Methylcobalamin deficiency also results in reduced levels of glutathione, and a decreased ratio of SAM:SAH, both of which are common in autism. Decreased glutathione, then leads to reduced production of iron-sulphur proteins.

Functional B12 deficiency, due to insufficient functional B2 due to Iodine, Selenium and/or Molybdenum .deficiency, shows all the characteristics of overt vitamin B12 deficiency, as well as some addition symptoms. These appear to arise from lack of activation of vitamin B6, with resultant deficiency in GABA

GABA is a common inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, with over one third of brain neurons in normal individuals being GABA-producing inhibitory transmitters. GABA works to control the neurological response to stimulation and to damp down "over-exuberant" responses. Reduced production of GABA has been associated with ADHD-type symptoms as well as hyperactivity, tantrums, aggression and self-injury.

References

• CHECKLIST Milestone Checklists (cdc.gov)

• https://www.healthline.com/health/childrens-health/stages-of-child-development#18-months-2-years

• Nickel and Gu 2018  Regulation of Central Nervous System Myelination in Higher Brain Functions https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5859868/pdf/NP2018-6436453.pdf

• Bauman, M., & Kemper, T. L. (1985). Histoanatomic observations of the brain in early infantile autism. Neurology, 35(6), 866–874. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.35.6.866

• Ozgen etal, 2011 J. Autism Dev. Disord. 41, 23-31

• Developmental Milestones: 3 Months - HealthyChildren.org

• DevelopmentalMilestonesEYLFandNQS.pdf (acecqa.gov.au)

• Georgieff MK. The importance of iron deficiency in pregnancy on fetal, neonatal, and infant neurodevelopmental outcomes. Int J Gynecol Obstet. 2023a; 162(Suppl. 2): 83-88. doi:10.1002/ijgo.14951

• Ataide R, Fielding K, Pasricha S-R, Bennett C. Iron deficiency, pregnancy, and neonatal development. Int J Gynecol Obstet. 2023; 162(Suppl. 2): 14-22. doi:10.1002/ijgo.14944

• Georgieff MK. Maternal gestational iron status and infant haematological and neurodevelopmental outcomes. BJOG. 2023b; 130(Suppl. 3): 92–98. https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-0528.17612

• Prue H. Hart, Robyn M. Lucas, John P. Walsh, Graeme R. Zosky, Andrew J.O. Whitehouse, Kun Zhu, Karina L. Allen, Merci M. Kusel, Denise Anderson, Jenny A. Mountain; Vitamin D in Fetal Development: Findings From a Birth Cohort Study. Pediatrics January 2015; 135 (1): e167–e173. 10.1542/peds.2014-1860

• Andrew J. O. Whitehouse, Barbara J. Holt, Michael Serralha, Patrick G. Holt, Merci M. H. Kusel, Prue H. Hart; Maternal Serum Vitamin D Levels During Pregnancy and Offspring Neurocognitive Development. Pediatrics March 2012; 129 (3): 485–493.

• Eyles DW. Vitamin D: Brain and Behavior. JBMR Plus. 2020 Oct 18;5(1):e10419. doi: 10.1002/jbm4.10419. PMID: 33553986; PMCID: PMC7839822.

• Incecik F, Hergüner MO, Altunbaşak S, Leblebisatan G. Neurologic findings of nutritional vitamin B12 deficiency in children. Turk J Pediatr. 2010 Jan-Feb;52(1):17-21. PMID: 20402062.

• Ljungblad UW, Astrup H, Mørkrid L, Hager HB, Lindberg M, Eklund EA, Bjørke-Monsen AL, Rootwelt T, Tangeraas T. Breastfed Infants With Spells, Tremor, or Irritability: Rule Out Vitamin B12 Deficiency. Pediatr Neurol. 2022 Jun;131:4-12. doi: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2022.03.003. Epub 2022 Mar 21. PMID: 35439713.

---

Copyright © 2014 B12 Oils. All Rights Reserved. 
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited