Foods high in Sulfur, Whey and Autism

Polly: Some of the autistic and mercury poisoned people have noticed that they are sensitive to foods high in sulfur. Part of the problem may be due to relatively high levels of the sulfur amino acid cysteine; or the problem may be due in part to the ability of certain forms of sulfur to move mercury around.

Willis: Until the body regains its ability to oxidize sulfur, it may help to limit high sulfur containing foods (cruciferous vegetables, broccoli, onions, garlic, turnips, eggs, red meat, turkey, dairy products); and supplements like alpha lipoic acid, and L-cysteine, and Nacetylcysteine. Those who have a problem with these foods likely have an impaired sulfur oxidation (a cysteine oxidation) problem, and should be alert to cysteine toxicity. Supplying any of these sulfur foods may be a problem to some of these kids who do not oxidize sulfur well. One indicator may be fatigue after eating these. However, to restrict these foods unnecessarily will cause a reduction of the vital antioxidant glutathione. (Glutathione consists of cysteine, glycine, and glutamic acid.)

Here is an example of what can happen when cysteine (a sulfur amino aicd) toxicity occurs. This happened to a mother of a 17 and a 15 year Autism Interventions 51 old, both autistic¾the older one more severely so. She is a very experienced, well-informed mother who taught me much of what I know. In fact, she has seen tremendous gains in the past year using MannatechTM products and many other nutritional interventions. Her son no longer suffers daily seizures, only one in over a year when something became a little imbalanced. She has been using ImmunocalTM undenatured whey for both children for six months or longer. (Whey contains a lot of glutyl-cysteine and cystine.) Though she had seen this PST/sulfate information, she overlooked their obvious PST symptoms. While Christmas Shopping, her daughter, who passes for “Normal” suddenly began screaming, attacked her, nearly ripped off one side her face, bit her arm¾generally went berserk. Her eyes were glaring with the pink of a bunny rabbit! A red, lacy rash broke out all over her body! Of course, she hastened home, only to see the rash disappear almost as quickly as it came. The child showed high anxiety, and a day later diarrhea. She suspected ImmunocalTM, called them, and was informed it was possibly a sign of ImmunocalTM having created too much glutathione. I suggested that before glutathione excess would come, you would have cysteine/cystine excess. When I listed the symptoms of cysteine/NAC toxicity: violence, rash, anxiety, wheezing, nausea, cramps, and diarrhea, she immediately recognized these as the symptoms her daughter displayed, and when I reminded her of PST/sulfate symptoms (listed above), she acknowledged that both children had them, red ears and all! She discontinued ImmunocalTM, and the children are doing really well.

Polly: Since there is a lot of cysteine in whey, there is concern that this could be detrimental to those with mercury poisoning or to those with certain types of impaired PST activity. Cysteine can also suppress thyroid. Yet, please don’t get the impression that autistic children should never be put on undenatured whey. Undenatured whey is highly beneficial for some. It all depends on the individual, the type of poisoning they may have, and what stage of healing they are in.

Ros in Australia: I have it from 3 biochemists now that butter and whey contain only miniscule amounts of casein if any. However, whey is high in lactose. We use both butter and whey now and my son shows NIL casomorphins on his tests. (I made my own whey from raw goats milk for a while.) For some months, we have also been using whey to soak oats as this was reported to predigest the small gluten content. We have found that not only does it improve the taste of the oats and give them a creamy texture, but my son is not registering any gliadomorphins on his last test. So presumably the whey really does break down the gluten and make it digestible. My archaeology tells me that this kind of food treatment (ie soaking beans and grains in various things in different parts of the world) was wellknown to women and common practice until the industrial revolution. Providing fresh bread en masse in particular meant it was no longer expedient or cost effective to go through the soaking process.

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