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By Jonathan Sher
In a world where autism rates have spiked nearly 150-fold, celebrities blame
vaccines and massive amounts of money are spent seeking genetic causes and
solutions.
So, its not everyday a scientist gets a world-class audience for a promising
theory some were quick to dismiss as heretical, but thats precisely whats
happened to a London doctor.
Called microbes, they out-number our own cells in the gut by 10 to one and
form a community of bugs, called a microbiome, thats led to an explosion of
research.
We want to let suffering families know there is real scientific progress in this
field, and gut microbes are becoming the game changer in this devastating
condition, MacFabe said.
Its not that gut bugs are bad. For, millions of years, they played a helpful role
in our health.
But changes in the past century have altered the microbial balance as societies
relied too heavily on antibiotics, disinfectants, C-section deliveries and a diet of
refined carbohydrates. Those changes replace inner gardens of helpful bacteria
with a harmful mix that makes compounds that in excess can damage the
digestive system, brain, immune system, and the way cells metabolize energy.
The damage is likely worse in babies whose brains and immune systems are
developing, MacFabe says. But the damage also occurs throughout life.
Studies that followed kids gut microbes over many years could predict later
health or disease, he said.
Others at the Nobel forum linked changes in gut bacteria to the rise in obesity,
some cancers, immunological disorders and neurodevelopmental conditions
beyond autism.
But while science is MacFabes pursuit, hes motivated by the stories of those
who suffer. They include the daughter of London entrepreneur David PatchellEvans, who donated $5 million to create the Kilee Patchell-Evans Autism
Research Group at Western University.
jonathan.sher@sunmedia.ca
Twitter.com/JSHERatLFPress