Medical Hypothesis

Redefining The Role Of Insulin In The Human Body

INSULIN: Could It Play A Critical Role In Metal Detoxification [And Possibly Act As A Critical Rejuvenation Factor For the Body]?

Implications For Diabetes, Iron Deficiency, Anemia, Iron Overload,

Autism, Schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s, Down Syndrome, ADHD and Cancer

Also discussed: The Role of Prenatal Vitamins, Iron Fortified Baby Foods/Formulas... Poison In A Bottle!

By: Jeanne A. Brohart

Return To HOME Page

PRINT THIS DOCUMENT AS A PDF FILE (updated 10/27/07) - The most current version is still online version... sure way to tell if you have most up to date document is to check the number of references - currently, there are 200! Updates added to the online paper are noted in red along with a date next to them like this: [UPDATE JAN 2006....... at the end of it, you will see [END OF UPDATE]). Other Updates To This Critical Paper or "interesting things" that may also come into play in all this will be posted here: Updates To Insulin Paper (read main paper first or else this won't make sense to you).

This paper, like everything else on my site, is written in simple words as I have always considered my primary audience to be that of families impacted by disorders such as autism-schizophrenia-Alzheimer’s... what I now very much saw as the same disorder - over the life spectrum.

For those of you who may be shocked by that comment, I encourage you to view the information posted on my website, http://www.autismhelpforyou.com entitled: Alzheimer's - Is It Autism - In The Elderly?© Autism - Alzheimer’s - Schizophrenia Unbelievable, Undeniable & Compelling Parallels! [1] as well as the information posted on my website looking at the very undeniable history linking all three of these disorders: Why Our Mental Illness Classification System Is Outdated And Invalid! A Critical Lesson In History of Autism-Alzheimer's-Schizophrenia - Unbelievable Ties! [2].

Indeed, after reviewing this information, many will find that with well over 100 parallels across these disorders (and these were just the ones I - a mother - had found), and their very undeniable historic ties, one could certainly argue that these disorders had much more in common than they did in terms of differences. Note also that when it came to the “classification” of these disorders, the primary classification criteria certainly appeared to be that of “age of onset”.

As you review the information looking at the parallels and the history of these disorders, I ask that you keep the following in mind:

1. THE HUMAN BRAIN IS NOT A CONSTANT. It changes tremendously over time and as such, what is considered “developing” also changes over time.

2. According to the Simpsonwood meeting transcript on mercury in vaccines, the following was stated:

Dr. Keller, pgs. 116 & 118: “…we know the developing neurologic system is more sensitive than one that is fully developed…” [3]

This, in my opinion, is a critical piece to the puzzle of mental illness – the implications of which appear to not have been fully recognized. I suspect that this may also be key in many, many other disorders as well.

If indeed metals target or most devastate developing cells, that would have major implications for all these disorders given the human brain - and indeed - the body - is not a constant over time... and indeed, research certainly shows tremendous change in the brain over the lifespan [4-9].

In the young child, the cerebellum is one of the most immature parts to the brain - taking 20+ years to mature [4]. Not surprisingly, this is exactly one of the areas “most hit” in autism.

In the young adult, the brain undergoes a tremendous wave of development with puberty onset [4, 5]. Not surprisingly, in schizophrenia, instead of the normal gray matter thickening we should be seeing, there is a tremendous LOSS of gray matter with puberty onset [7, 191, 192] - most likely resulting in the "odd" things we see in schizophrenia such delusions, hallucinations, forced thinking, depersonalization, loss of sense of reality, altered sensory perception and on and on and on. Note that all of these things are known to occur in persons who suffer from "aura continua" [190] or ongoing epilepsy and note that persons with schizophrenia are known to suffer from "aura continua" or "ongoing epilepsy"! I think given the tremendous LOSS of gray matter with puberty onset [7, 191, 192] seen in persons with schizophrenia that there can be little doubt that seizure activity such as "aura continua" is most likely occurring in these persons. Thus, if indeed the brain should normally undergo gray matter thickening with puberty onset, surely these would be "developing cells" and if metals are most targeting or devastating to "developing cells" - as stated by Dr. Keller during the Simpsonwood meeting [3], then, once again, this would appear to explain a great deal and that is why, in my opinion, autism, schizophrenia and Alzheimer's may truly be representative of "epilepsy at its worse"[193]! Note also the comment in the article on gray matter loss in schizophrenia - a comment stating that a "non-genetic trigger"[192] appears to be at play in the initial onset and progression of the disorder!

By the time a person is elderly and is said to have Alzheimer’s, the cerebellum and the gray matter thickening that should normally occur at puberty onset have had the opportunity to run their course of development. However, parts of the brain that continue to develop new cells throughout most of a person’s life are the hippocampus and olfactory bulb [8, 9]. Again, not surprisingly, the hippocampus is one of the areas most impacted in Alzheimer’s. The olfactory system is tied to many, many functions - memory, imagination, concept of self, etc. - much more than just “smelling”. Indeed, if metals target immature cells, potentially, via the olfactory system, many other systems could be devastated as well. For my thoughts on the possible implications of the olfactory bulb development over time as it relates to mental illness, refer to my third book, posted in full on my website, http://www.autismhelpforyou.com.

Thus, truly, given the brain is not a constant over time, it very much appears that if metals target or most devastate immature cells that this may explain a great deal in terms of any differences we do see in these disorders given what is considered to be “developing” in the human brain changes over the life spectrum. That, however, does not take away the fact that the underlying cause to autism, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s - and I suspect many, many other disorders - may indeed be metal toxicity!

With that stated, let us now take a look at what I believe may be a critical role for insulin in the human body - metal detoxification - a role that may very well explain the worldwide explosion in diabetes.

Insulin is a hormone produced by the body. Its primary role has always been thought of by the scientific community as that of involving the regulation of glucose levels. When a person eats, glucose levels go up. Insulin then enters the blood stream to help lower and/or regulate glucose levels. Glucose is a sugar found in the blood. Insulin acts to reduce glucose levels and thus in the regulation of blood sugar levels.

The International Diabetes Foundation (IDF) estimates that there are currently 194 million diabetics worldwide and that by 2025, that figure could swell to an amazing 330 million people living with diabetes [10].

The IDF would attempt to tell us people are developing diabetes because they are fat and that if they fight obesity, they will help prevent diabetes. Well... given my research, I now suspect that people are obese BECAUSE they are diabetic - not the other way around - that they are diabetic because they are obese.

In my opinion, obesity is the result or “the effect” - not “the cause” - of diabetes or insulin issues - insulin issues that, in my opinion, have roots that very much extend into the realm of metal toxicity!

UPDATE MAY 2005: It certainly appears there is support for this theory... that "insulin resistance" comes first - THEN obesity [188, click on link for more on this issue]. When insulin resistance was induced in mice... the desire to over-eat seemed to be triggered... but note... the "insulin resistance" came FIRST - and THEN - the obesity! So.. just as I suspected, insulin resistance may be causing the obesity... not the other way around - that obesity causes diabetes... as those at the CDC and FDA would love us to believe! I quote:

I quote from this article posted at the above mentioned link:

"A new study led by scientists at Joslin Diabetes Center and a German university links the insulin signaling system in the brain not only to the onset of type 2 (adult onset) diabetes, but also to appetite control, obesity and even infertility. Using genetically-altered laboratory mice, the researchers found that the mice in which insulin action was blocked gained weight at a considerably higher rate than their counterparts, developed resistance to insulin action in other tissues of the body, and exhibited a 50 percent decrease in fertility.... We found evidence of a decrease in the ability of insulin to lower blood glucose (sugar) levels, increased appetite, obesity and increased infertility in the genetically altered mice in which the insulin receptor in the brain had been genetically knocked out," said Dr. Kahn, the Mary K. Iacocca Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School." [188]

It was also recently disclosed via research that being slightly overweight may actually be protective [189] - not surprising given we store toxins in fat! I quote from an article on this issue:

"The federal government greatly overestimated deaths from obesity in the United States, according to new CDC estimates, which now ranks it as the No. 7 most-preventable cause of death, rather than No. 2...The study, led by Katherine M. Flegal of the National Center for Health Statistics, a branch of the CDC, analyzed mortality according a person's to BMI, or body mass index, which measures weight and height. It determined that being modestly overweight, but not obese, "was not associated with excess mortality" or a shorter life expectancy. In fact, the research shows that being overweight is actually less of a mortality risk factor than being of normal weight..."[189]. [END OF UPDATE].

UPDATE FEB 2007

Research also shows that obesity is a sign of cellular oxygen depletion. [200] [END OF UPDATE]

I now suspected that diabetes was but one of the many signs of metal toxicity!

Why do I state that?

Where do I start explaining my views on this given there is so much that appears to be at play here?

Perhaps the best place to start is to show the undeniable role of insulin in disorders such as autism, schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s - keeping in mind the very common parallels and history behind these disorders.

Autism used to be called “childhood schizophrenia” [11]

Schizophrenia used to be called “dementia praecox”. Schizophrenia was discovered by Emil Kraepelin [12].

Alzheimer’s also used to be called “dementia praecox” (an apparently “early term” to refer to “dementia”). Alzheimer’s was discovered by Alois Alzheimer - a man who worked with Emil Kraepelin and was considered his protege [12, 13].

Again, for much more on this issue of “history” of these disorders please refer to the history information referenced above [2]. The point I wish to make here is simply that autism used to be called: “childhood schizophrenia”.

Note was what used in the treatment of schizophrenia - dating back to the 1940s... INSULIN [14]!

Please take the time to view the image posted at the following website - it speaks volumes: http://www.priory.com/homol/insulin.htm. It is entitled The Insulin Treatment of Schizophrenia, An Introduction To Physical Methods of Treatment in Psychiatry (First Edition) by William Sargant and Eliot Slater (1944, Edinburgh, E&S Livingstone).

Thus, there could be no denying that insulin had been recognized as playing a role in schizophrenia a very long time ago.

But what about autism and Alzheimer’s?

Well... studies were currently underway by Repligen to look at secretin - a precursor to insulin - for the treatment of autism and schizophrenia. Results had been quite mixed and indeed, studies for the use of secretin in autism had failed in early 2004. I suspect that may be due to several issues and that of course, metal toxicity may play a role in that.

Before considering secretin as a possible “treatment” option for any of these disorders, I encouraged all families/researchers, etc. to read what world leading immunogeneticist H. Hugh Fudenberg has to say about the potential dangers of secretin therapy in his article entitled: A Warning About The Use Of “Fad” Treatments Such As Secretin In Autism, posted at: http://www.nitrf.org/Fadtreatmentswarning.htm [15].

It is also important to note that according to Dr. Fudenberg, if an individual had 5 consecutive flu shots, that person was 10 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than a person who had 2, 1 or no shots and he very much attributes that to toxins such as mercury and aluminum found in vaccines [16]. Note Dr. Fudenberg’s “career highlights” or “credentials” as posted at http://www.nitrf.org/career.html - for those who would ask: “Who is this man to make such a controversial statement?”

Dr. Fudenberg clearly has done a tremendous amount of research in matters relating to autism, Alzheimer’s... and yes, even schizophrenia appears to be on his plate. For those interested in his papers, you could find them on his website, http://www.nitrf.org.

Thus, although immunologists certainly saw issues with the use of secretin, again, their could be no denying others had seen secretin might play a role in autism... but, was it the secretin or was it perhaps the fact that secretin was a precursor to insulin... and thus, could it be the insulin that might really play the beneficial role in autism?

Another telling article was certainly one entitled: Studies of Secretin-Stimulated Insulin Response In Man [17]. In this article it was hypothesized that glucose and secretin may stimulate “different pools of insulin” in the human body. This one, I considered another “must read article”. It was mentioned in this article that both secretin and glucose appeared to stimulate a rapid insulin response and that the effects on insulin varied depending on glucose and secretin levels. I quote:

“Thus during studies in which a diminished acute insulin response to glucose is observed, the acute response to secretin is increased; and conversely, when a decreased acute insulin response to secretin is observed, th subsequent acute response to glucose is increased... an alternative hypothesis may be considered: that glucose and secretin may stimulate separate functional storage pools of immediately releasable insulin. Such a hypothesis would explain the diminished insulin response to both the multiple secretin pulses and during the short glucose infusion by postulating independent storage pools of insulin for glucose and secretin. The augmented rapid insulin response to secretin observed during the short or long glucose infusion suggests a transient enlargement of the storage pool available for secretin stimulation which is glucose-dependent, since it is not present after the infusion is stopped; while the increased response to the second glucose pulse after four secretin pulses would suggest enlargement of the glucose-responsive pool which is secretin dependent... All of these data are compatible with the concept that glucose and secretin stimulate separate functional pools of insulin, the output from either pool being partly determined by the prior exposure of the islets to the other stimulus “[17].

Thus, this certainly could play into “mixed results” for secretin studies for autism and schizophrenia... although I suspect other things play into that as well... things involving metal toxicity... as we shall see. Thus, so far, we had certainly seen the fact that there were possible implications of insulin in both autism and schizophrenia.

But what about insulin and Alzheimer’s?

Well... again, the implication of insulin in Alzheimer’s has certainly been documented as researchers are now showing that persons with diabetes have a significantly increased risk for Alzheimer’s. I quote:

“Diabetes mellitus was linked to a 65 percent increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD)... “ [18].

But, is it the diabetes that is increasing the risk of Alzheimer’s or is diabetes just “an indication” of a deeper underlying issue – perhaps an issue of metal toxicity?

Of course, there are always two sides to the coin...

Is it the diabetes that increases your risk of Alzheimer’s disease or is it Alzheimer’s that increases your risk of Type 2 diabetes? As the old expression goes... “It is all in the eye of the beholder”. I quote:

“These data support the hypothesis that patients with Alzheimer disease are more vulnerable to Type 2 diabetes and the possibilityof linkage between the processes responsible for loss of braincells and ß-cells in these diseases” [19].

UPDATE - DEC 2005: Note also that persons with schizophrenia are also more likely to develop... diabetes! [195] I quote:

"The prevalence of type 2 diabetes in people with schizophrenia can be 2–4 times higher than in the general population.The precise prevalence can be reasonably estimated to be approximately15–18%. The prevalence of impaired glucose tolerancein people with schizophrenia may be as high as 30%, dependingupon age." [195] END OF UPDATE

Some state that it is antipsychotic drugs that may contribute to this... this view has been received with much controversy... after all... the pharmaceuticals probably don't want their drugs tied to the development of diabetes! And, I would perhaps agree with them... that the diabetes may be coming from elsewhere...

Schizophrenia and its link to insulin can be traced back to at least the 1940s when insulin treatment was used to treat schizophrenia... and they certainly did not have as many "drugs" back then... so... I don't know that I personally would "buy" that argument. I think as you continue to read, you will come to see that there may be a very good reason for the development of diabetes in these disorders and that reason may be what I am proposing here... that insulin may play a critical role in metal detoxification! END OF DEC 2005 UPDATE

Thus, all this to show that insulin appears to possibly play a role in autism, schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s!

There could be no doubt that insulin is known to regulate blood sugar levels by regulating glucose levels in the blood. It is critical to note that glucose is a SUGAR! That will be quite key as we move forward in this discussion. Unfortunately, for too many a scientist, it appears the role of insulin may end in matters dealing with glucose and the providing of food to the human body.

However, there is something else that was critical that science had also shown... and it was this “something” that had come to completely change my view of the role of insulin in the human body!

INSULIN AND IRON ARE KNOWN TO MODULATE ONE ANOTHER... in other words, insulin affects iron levels and iron levels affect insulin! THAT IS KEY!

I quote from another critical article entitled “Cross-Talk Between Iron Metabolism And Diabetes” [20]: http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/content/full/51/8/2348:

“Emerging scientific evidence has disclosed unsuspected influences between iron metabolism and Type 2 diabetes. The relationship is bi-directional - iron affects glucose metabolism, and glucose metabolism impinges on several iron metabolic pathways” [20, emphasis added].

“Unsuspected influences” – keep that phrase in mind as we discuss the history of the diabetes-iron link later in this paper. I think you’ll be VERY surprised to say the least! :o)

And, not surprisingly, Harvard had recently confirmed the same thing. I quote:

“In the first large study to assess iron stores and risk of Type 2 diabetes in an apparently healthy population, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) found that higher iron stores were associated with significantly elevated risk of Type 2 diabetes, independent of other known diabetes risk factors. Higher iron stores were assessed by measuring blood concentrations of ferritin (a protein that stores iron in the body). The findings appear in the February 11, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)”[21].

Well... that certainly was interesting... higher iron stores in women predict a much higher risk for Type 2 diabetes...

Now... where could women be getting all those “higher iron stores”? Another critical piece to the puzzle... PRENATAL VITAMINS.

Via prenatal vitamins, over the course of just 7 months, women could be getting close to an additional 5 grams to almost 20 GRAMS of iron - depending on the brand of prenatal vitamins used given prenatal vitamins could provide doses of iron of up to 90 mg/day [22].

Almost 20 GRAMS… keep that amount in mind as we later discuss how much excess iron in the body leads to damage to critical organs…

Now, there certainly is an issue for me here given the RDA for pregnant women is about 30 mg/day of iron [22].

So, why are some prenatal vitamins allowed to give women 3 times that much. And, keep in mind, this is from prenatal vitamins alone... our diet, water, etc. are also other potentially very high sources of iron... and also, during pregnancy, a woman did not have the menstrual flow and hence, even more iron is retained.

Interestingly, we have all heard the old joke that women crave pickles and ice cream during pregnancy.

Could this be because both could impact iron absorption? Calcium is believed to possibly prevent iron absorption [23] and vinegar is believed by some to be a natural iron chelator [24]. Salt is known to impact iron binding properties of human transferrin [25] and appears to play a role in providing more oxygen to hemoglobin [26].

Salt cravings are certainly something I had seen in my own son.

Tea is also known to prevent iron absorption [23] and interestingly, parents of children with autism often find that Ojibwa tea seems to help their children [for that one, you’ll need to go on a parent discussion board such as the Yahoo Group, Enzymes and Autism and ask parents about Ojibwa Tea, http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/EnzymesandAutism/].

But, again, why are some brands of prenatal vitamins allowed to give women up to 90 mg/day – or three times the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance)?

I suspect there are doctors out there who would be quick to jump in and argue “anemia”... stating that many women are anemic during pregnancy and therefore needed “more iron”.

Well... to those doctors... I would suggest that, like the majority of doctors it seems, you need to understand anemia a little more. What you may be seeing as “anemia” may actually be IRON OVERLOAD... with iron going to storage instead of blood production. Thus, giving all that “extra iron” may be very, very dangerous given iron is now linked to many, many diseases and is known to feed bacteria, viruses, parasites, and cancers as well!

UPDATE JANUARY 2006: Note also that fatigue is a sign of iron overload in women according to the Merck Manual section on IRON OVERLOAD. Also note that diabetes is a sign of iron overload. Remember, women today, often develop, "gestational diabetes"... prenatal vitamins are LOADED with iron! From the Merck Manual, Section 11, Chapter 128, Signs and Symptoms of iron overload - I quote:

"In women, fatigue and nonspecific constitutional symptoms are early findings; in men, cirrhosis or diabetes is often the initial presentation." [196 ]. END OF UPDATE

But, getting back to iron as it relates to “anemia” and the fact that “anemia” may really be a sign of iron overload, perhaps the best article I had read on the issue of “anemia” was one written by Roberta Crawford, President of the Iron Overload Diseases Association. This article on anemia was posted at http://www.ironoverload.org/anemia.htm and was so critical that it had been reproduced here in full with the permission of Roberta Crawford.

Given iron and insulin are now known to modulate one another, understanding iron issues such as “anemia” is key!

I quote:

“A New Perspective on Iron Deficiency

Presentation Given by Roberta Crawford in June 2001 at NIH Workshop in Bethesda, MD

A prevailing myth says that iron deficiency is the world’s greatest nutritional problem.

Let’s define anemia: a deficiency of red cells or hemoglobin, or red cells that die too young or are discolored or possess an abnormal shape, or red cells that lack adequate iron.

Now defining iron deficiency—so-called “normal” iron levels vary from lab to lab. Most “normal” levels are set too high. Saturation: 12 to 40-45% is reasonable at the present time. Ferritin: 5 to probably 50. As our years of study have shown, we have had to lower these levels several times to be safe.

Think about it. If “normal” levels are set artificially high, and your levels fall below that “normal,” you are “iron deficient.”

So how much iron does the human body really need? Iron is not excreted. The iron you absorb stays and accumulates in storage except that you can lose one milligram a day through hair, finger nails, skin cells and other detritus. That is the amount needed every day to replace the loss. One milligram. (Women in reproductive years, one and a half milligram). The RDAs or RDIs recommended by the Food and Nutrition Board is out of date and incorrect. The other way to lose iron, of course, is by blood loss.

The normal levels of iron need to be lowered.

Hemoglobin is not iron! Unfortunately physicians prescribe iron to anemic people who test with low hemoglobin. Yes, the patients are anemic, but the iron is collecting in storage instead of going into hemoglobin. These people are iron-loaded. They need iron removed despite the anemia. The anemia should be treated with B vitamins, especially B12, B6 and folic acid. Many patients with anemia are dying of iron overload, and some are hastened to their death by their physicians who give iron. Blood banks seem to believe that hemoglobin and iron are the same. They have prepared lists of high iron foods to give out to donors with low hemoglobin. They invariably tell these people: “Your iron is low.” Dangerous misinformation.

Physicians like to diagnose or rule out a disease called hemochromatosis. That causes confusion and many problems. There is no consensus. Doctors hesitate to treat without a diagnosis. Too bad that word was ever invented. Each patient is different with different symptoms and different iron levels.

First: treatment does no harm whether there is excess iron or not. A cutoff is set on hematocrit to prevent severe anemia, and when the patient tests under that cutoff, blood is not taken that day. Giving blood is beneficial.

Second: even a small amount of excess iron can damage heart and brain and other storage sites in the body and lead to heart attack or stroke. It is foolish to wait until iron levels confirm “hemochromatosis.”

There is exaggerated concern when hemoglobin falls temporarily, following surgery, for example. Blood transfusions are over-used. A study shows that surgery patients who do not receive transfusions survive better than those who do. [NEJM Feb 1999 340:409-17]

Before taking iron you must test saturation and ferritin. (Ferritin indicates storage iron, which is not essential to maintain life). If both saturation and ferritin are extremely low, you must discover why. Low iron is a signal that iron is being used by cancer cells or is feeding bacteria, or usually it means there is chronic daily blood loss. The bleeding could be from an ulcer or tumor, etc. The source must be found.

Iron is in just about everything. If you are not absorbing the one daily milligram, you are truly on a starvation diet, and low iron is the least of your worries” [27, emphasis added].

Thus, what many doctors may see as “anemia” may actually be IRON OVERLOAD manifesting itself with iron going to storage instead of blood production... and as such, according Roberta Crawford’s article on iron overload, giving an “anemic” person iron may actually be precipitating that person’s death!

Given iron and insulin modulate one another and insulin, given the diabetes explosion and given insulin is now absolutely linked to mental illness, the implications of this may be huge indeed!

For those interested in learning more about the dangers of iron overload, Roberta Crawford had also written 1) The Iron Elephant: What You Should Know About The Dangers Of Excess Body Iron and 2) Tick... Tick... Tick... (Suspenseful Tale Of Outrageous Medical Ignorance). Both books are available via the Iron Overload Diseases Association at http://www.ironoverload.org/.

So... although the government would like us to believe that we need “all that iron” and recommended levels are set at 30 mg/day for pregnant women, and the FDA sees no problem with allowing some manufacturers of prenatal vitamins to provide up to 90 mg/day of iron or a whopping almost 20 extra grams of extra iron over the course of pregnancy – it obviously looks like even the 30 mg/day of iron may be much, much too high and that the body only need 1 mg/day of iron.

Again, keep that “almost 20 grams of extra iron” in mind as we later discuss how much extra iron is needed before we see damage to the organs!

A daily requirement of perhaps as little as 1 mg/day of iron - interestingly, that is exactly about how much iron a newborn receives via breastmilk [28, 29]! “Just coincidence”?

Note that iron concentration from breastmilk is not dependent on the mother’s iron status. Breastmilk iron remains at a constant of about 0.5 mg – 1.0 mg/l [29]. Think that might tell us that our infants really don’t need that much iron?

Note that according to the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, there is no set RDA for iron for infants age 0 to 6 months. I quote:

“There is not enough evidence available to establish a RDA for iron for infants from birth through 6 months of age. Recommended iron intake for this age group is based on an Adequate Intake (AI) that reflects the average iron intake of healthy infants fed breast milk [1]”[30]

Table 4 shows that for this age group, there should probably be a daily intake of about .27 mg/day and that appears to be based on figures for healthy breastfed infants according to the website. I suspect, however, that the government completely forgot about all that excess iron from prenatal vitamins that could find its way to the unborn child - via the placenta!

And of course, not surprisingly, it is also known that the body’s intestines only absorbed about 1 mg/day of iron. Again, I quote:

“Iron balance differs from that of other trace elements in that it is regulated primarily by absorption, not excretion. Because the body’s ability to excrete iron is very limited, intestinal iron uptake is closely restricted to about 1 mg/day, which is the amount usually excreted daily in the urine and feces.” [31]

1 mg/day of iron from breastmilk… 1 mg/day of iron absorbed via the intestines… 1 mg/day of iron excreted by the human body… all “just coincidence”, of course!

So, how much iron do we really need? Perhaps only 1 mg/day... exactly the amount absorbed by the intestines each day!

The body has no good mechanisms for getting rid of excess iron! I quote:

“Iron is very active chemically.

For example, it

* binds nonspecifically to many proteins, with deleterious consequences to their structures.

* acts catalytically in assorted oxidation reactions, such as peroxidation of unsaturated lipids in cellular membranes.

Because of this it is always found in bound form.

It therefore does not get excreted. Iron is lost from the body only by processes such as

* bleeding

* sloughing of cells

* menstrual flow

* transfer to a developing fetus

The body’s iron content is regulated by controlling absorption.” [32, emphasis added].

Of course, you can also add hair/nail growth to the list of how we excrete iron... perhaps explaining why so many women state their hair/nails seem to grow so well when they are pregnant. No reference on this one... just something I know from conversations with other women.

Note that a 70 kg male (that’s about 150 pounds) has about 3.7 grams of iron in his body [32].

Does anyone see a little insanity here? A 150-pound male has only 3.7 grams of iron in his body, and yet we are pumping pregnant women with iron doses of up to almost 20 grams of extra iron over the course of just one pregnancy?

Should we not be very concerned about the health of the mother and her unborn child given these astounding figures?

According to the Merck Manual, iron, like mercury, appears to lodge preferentially in the unborn child before the mother. I quote:

“Because iron is preferentially transported across the placenta, the neonatal Hct is generally normal despite maternal anemia, but total iron stores in these newborns are usually reduced, indicating a need for early dietary iron supplementation” [33].

So, what most doctors and indeed researchers and pharmaceuticals see as “anemia” may truly be “anemia” not due to lack of iron but due to IRON OVERLOAD!

And, not surprising to me, studies on iron supplementation during pregnancy are - and I quote - “almost non-existent” [34, emphasis added].

Was this, another case - as in the case of mercury and aluminum in vaccines - where we simply assumed the studies had been done?

Mercury is an endocrine system disruptor and as such it would impact insulin.

Mercury is a very toxic substance, continually added to childhood vaccines, pharmaceutical and household products, and yet, its safety in vaccines (and I suspect in many other things) has never been evaluated.

Not once in 80 years did the pharmaceuticals test the safety of mercury in vaccines! I quote Dan Burton during the June 2002 Government Reform Hearings on this issue, as reported by WFAA-TV’s Valerie Williams:

“You mean to tell me that since 1929, we’ve been using Thimerosal,” Congressman Dan Burton (R-Indiana) said to the officials, “and the only test that you know of is from 1929, and every one of those people had meningitis, and they all died?” For nearly an hour, Burton repeatedly asked FDA and CDC officials what they knew and when they knew it. And when memories seemed to be a bit fuzzy, the congressman produced old memos as a refresher. One memo, from 1999, states that the FDA had an “interim plan ... already in place for many years” to get rid of Thimerosal. The same e-mail also addresses the FDA’s fear that it will be accused by the public of being “asleep at the switch for decades, by allowing a dangerous compound to remain in childhood vaccines” [35].

I suspect we may very well find the same to be true for iron in prenatal vitamins!

1 mg/day of iron (what the body absorbs via the intestines daily, what is provided via breastmilk, what is lost daily by the body), 30 mg/day (the RDA for pregnant women) or almost 100 mg/day (what is provided via some brands of prenatal vitamins)? Who to believe?

For those wanting an answer to that, I suggest you read my information on “The Aluminum Connection” [36] and “Reports Attorneys For The Vaccine Injured Will Surely Want To See” [37], for more on the “expertise” of those in our government agencies who set “safe minimum exposure levels” to toxic substances. These are posted on my website, http://www.autismhelpforyou.com. These links do not discuss iron per se, however, they do certainly give one “an idea” as to “the expertise” of those in the CDC, FDA and pharmaceutical industry when it comes to matters of “safety” [too much to go into in this paper but certainly a “must read” for those with an interest in this issue].

Now keeping in mind that iron and insulin modulated each other... let us also not forget something else when it came to pregnancy.

Gestational diabetes affects about 4% of all pregnant women - about 135,000 cases of gestational diabetes in the United States each year [38].

Thus, if iron and insulin modulate each other and higher body iron stores are now known to increase a person’s risk of developing Type 2 diabetes [21] - the question becomes:

Are women developing gestational diabetes because of the toxicity of iron from high iron doses from prenatal vitamins and is gestational diabetes a way for the body to attempt to deal with that toxicity - a possible attempt at metal detoxification that would very much involve - insulin?

Something else was very interesting in gestational diabetes. Note that at week 28, fetal blood (the globin part of the blood) was supposed to switch from 2 alpha + 2 gamma proteins to 2 alpha + 2 beta proteins, but in mothers with gestational diabetes, that switch in the infant’s blood is delayed to week 36 – 39 of gestation. This switch involves the globin part of the blood in the infant, and hence, that part of the blood tied to immune system functions [39]. I suspect that “switch” was delayed because beta cells appear to be somehow more susceptible to metal toxicity!

What this tells me, however, is that, potentially, the “immune system part of the blood” may be delayed almost 3 months in the child of a mother with gestational diabetes. Thus, potentially, I could have a full term infant with a very delayed immune system – an infant that is then greeted with a battery of mercury and aluminum laced vaccinations – not to mention the iron overload from which the child may already be suffering!

Over and over I had seen implications for the word “beta” in my research and I am now convinced that beta cells – both those of the pancreas that produce insulin as well as the beta cells of the globin part of the blood – appear to be very much impacted by metal toxicity. It is also interesting to note that in the University of Calgary video on neurodegeneration due to mercury exposure, the mercury was shown to affix itself to “the beta subset of newly synthesized tubulin molecules”. I quote:

"The mercury attaches itself to the GTP site in the beta subset preventing tubulin proteins from binding together and hence this striped neurites of their supporting structure, thus resulting in the collapse of neurons. GTP provided the energy for molecules to bind together." [40, emphasis added]

I personally was not diagnosed with gestational diabetes, however, I knew of many a mother who had been and these mothers now found themselves with children who have autism!

Also, I was a blood donor for years and that, surely, would have helped flush excess iron from my body and may have reduced my iron load enough so that I was not technically diagnosed as having “gestational diabetes”. I also ate a lot of dairy products and drank teas... both known to help reduce iron absorption [23]!

I do very much suspect, however, that my unborn son, a little boy now on the autism spectrum, had been the unfortunate recipient of much of that excess iron that had found its way into my body via prenatal vitamins. Let us remember that iron is preferentially passed to the unborn child [33]!

Perhaps I was not diagnosed with “gestational diabetes” because my body had simply been “more effective” in flushing that excess iron by passing it on to my unborn child. :o(

I now very much suspect that iron overload due to toxic doses of iron from prenatal vitamins could be one of the primary reasons we now see so many miscarriages.

Zachary had been my fourth pregnancy. My 1^st and 3^rd pregnancies had both been miscarriages. My second had resulted in the birth of my wonderful daughter - Anika. As such, I would have been on many a prenatal vitamin before Zachary was born.

Clearly, there could be no doubt that my son - my beautiful Zachary - had issues with insulin right from the start and that his system - and mine - may have been seriously poisoned by prenatal vitamins!

My son Zachary had been born “low on glucose”... a clear sign of a problem with insulin - from Day 1!

Another piece to the puzzle - from this same article on gestational diabetes - I quote:

“However, untreated or poorly controlled gestational diabetes can hurt your baby. When you have gestational diabetes, your pancreas works overtime to produce insulin, but the insulin does not lower your blood glucose levels. Although insulin does not cross the placenta, glucose and other nutrients do. So extra blood glucose goes through the placenta, giving the baby high blood glucose levels. This causes the baby’s pancreas to make extra insulin to get rid of the blood glucose. Since the baby is getting more energy than it needs to grow and develop, the extra energy is stored as fat. This can lead to macrosomia, or a “fat” baby. Babies with macrosomia face health problems of their own, including damage to their shoulders during birth. Because of the extra insulin made by the baby’s pancreas, newborns may have very low blood glucose levels at birth and are also at higher risk for breathing problems. Babies with excess insulin become children who are at risk for obesity and adults who are at risk for Type 2 diabetes” [38, emphasis added].

“Fat babies” and “low glucose”... Not only was Zachary born “low on glucose”, he had weighed 9 pounds and was considered “Large For Gestational Age” as clearly indicated in many areas in his medical records.

Again, I must ask a question: Was it the excess glucose that resulted in “bigger babbies” or was it the fact that we store toxins in fat and that iron was finding its way to my unborn child in what very much appears to be toxic levels!

How very interesting given this quote, again from the Simpsonwood meeting on the effects of mercury in vaccines:

“... the heavier babies in this cohort are more likely to have the outcome, and that is statistically significant...” (p.46 of Simpsonwood transcript) [3].

Note also that according to the Merck Manual the reason most associated with “heavier babies”, or babies considered “Large For Gestational Age - LGA “ is diabetes mellitus in the mother [41].

Again, keep in mind that mercury and iron both impact insulin levels [20, 21, 42, 43, 44]. I quote:

“Mercury inhibits the production of insulin” [42].

“Vaccines are the largest cause of insulin-dependent diabetes in young children” [43].

Note that “insulin-dependent” would be type 1 diabetes!

Most of this discussion focuses on “type 2” diabetes, but, clearly, there are implications in all this for type 1 diabetes also, given it very much appears to me that metals such as iron, mercury and possibly aluminum may play a tremendous role in the actual destruction of beta cells themselves! I suspect that given mercury is so much more toxic than iron that it may just play a much “faster” role in this destruction - destroying the very systems that may be responsible for metal detoxification.

Indeed, if the systems that are responsible for metal detoxification must be able to “bind” to these metals, it would make sense that they would somehow “attract” the metals in order to perform those binding functions and then rid these metals from the body. However, obviously, there can certainly come a point of “overload” at which even the systems themselves become destroyed!

I now suspect my son’s immune and detoxification systems could have been very, very much impacted by iron from prenatal vitamins and mercury from my dental amalgams (silver fillings are actually 50% mercury [43] ) while he was still in the womb and that his immune system was only further burdened with each and every vaccination!

Again, I was not personally diagnosed as having “gestational diabetes”. Perhaps I was borderline... perhaps it was a function of when the test had been done (i.e., week 26 vs week 30 of gestation), perhaps it had been due to the fact that I had been a blood donor prior to this pregnancy and had given blood fairly regularly, perhaps my body had just been “more efficient” in passing that extra iron from prenatal vitamins on to my unborn child... and yes, perhaps there had already been a genetic predisposition (a genetic mutation) making my son more susceptible to vaccine injury or metal toxicity. Note that a “genetic mutation” could certainly be caused by environmental factors such as exposure to metals while still in the womb!

Another critical factor is also the fact that the “iron dose” in prenatal vitamins can vary tremendously… with women getting about 5 extra grams of iron on the “low end” to up to 20 extra grams of iron on the “high end” dose spectrum of prenatal vitamins [22].

This certainly could also play into the equation.

My point is that there could indeed be many reasons explaining why one could develop “gestational diabetes” while another did not and why a specific child develops autism and others did not.

Note also that gestational diabetes is also known to increase a person’s risk of developing Type 2 diabetes later in life... and again, keep in mind, Type 2 diabetes is now very much associated with Alzheimer’s! I quote, again from the article on gestational diabetes:

“Gestational diabetes usually goes away after pregnancy. But once you’ve had gestational diabetes, your chances are 2 in 3 that it will return in future pregnancies. In a few women, however, pregnancy uncovers type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. It is hard to tell whether these women have gestational diabetes or have just started showing their diabetes during pregnancy. These women will need to continue diabetes treatment after pregnancy. Many women who have gestational diabetes go on to develop Type 2 diabetes in later years. There seems to be a link between the tendency to have gestational diabetes and Type 2 diabetes. Gestational diabetes and Type 2 diabetes both involve insulin resistance” [38].

I suspect perhaps those who do not develop gestational diabetes in future pregnancies may be women who give blood, eat dairy products, drink tea or have a lower overall dietary iron intake as these things are all known to either flush excess iron or prevent iron absorption! They could also be women who chose not to be vaccinated or who have fewer dental amalgams or “silver fillings” (which are actually 50% mercury) and as such, are exposed to less mercury while pregnant.

All of these things, could have impacted whether or not a child would go on to develop a disorder such as autism – as could, I believe, whether or not a woman had any dental work (including dental cleanings) done during pregnancy – as I had – being unaware of the dangers of releasing mercury into my body via dental cleanings. Note again, the FDA has chosen not to inform the consumer of the dangers of dental amalgam. Instead, it chose to “inform the dentist” – doing OSHA’s job instead of its own [74]!

Why am I no longer surprised by the incompetence that comes out of the FDA – better known in my family as the Failing In Duties Administration!

Clearly, there are many things that play into what I had once only known as “autism”… a puzzle that now reaches far beyond anything I could ever have imagined… and it is this puzzle that has now led me to this point – a point at which I now find myself asking about the role of insulin in all this.

When looking at all of this information, again, I found myself asking: Is it really the diabetes or insulin problems that are leading to so much obesity and mental illness today?

Well... again, it was critical to remember what we had covered so far.

1. Insulin appears to play a role in autism, schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s - what appears to be the same disorder over the life spectrum

2. The human brain and body are not constants over time - they both change tremendously over the life spectrum

3. Iron and insulin modulate each other

4. Prenatal vitamins are LOADED with iron – providing potentially almost 90 times the body’s needs on a daily basis during pregnancy!

5. The body has no good mechanisms for flushing excess iron

6. The intestines only absorb 1 mg/day of iron

7. We only lose about 1 mg/day – the rest goes to storage – potentially devastating all organs/systems

8. Via iron-fortified everything diets/water/vitamins we take in much more iron than we can ever excrete (without the use of iron chelators)

9. Excess iron preferentially transferred to the unborn child

10. Women Develop “gestational diabetes” while pregnant – a condition that usually disappears after pregnancy (when a woman would no longer be on prenatal vitamins)

11. The fetal blood switch is delayed almost 3 months in children of mothers with gestational diabetes – surely impacting the child’s immune system given this impacts the globin part of the blood

12. Gestational diabetes then increases your risk for Type 2 diabetes

13. Type 2 diabetes then significantly increases your risk for Alzheimer’s (or

vice versa – depending on which side of the coin you choose to believe)

14. Secretin is a precursor to insulin

15. Glucose and secretin may stimulate “different pools of insulin”

16. Insulin helps to regulate glucose levels

17. Vaccines are considered the primary cause of type 1 (insulin dependent) diabetes in young children

18. There are certainly questions as to “the expertise” of those at the FDA, CDC and in the pharmaceutical industry given not a single study was done on the safety of mercury in vaccines

19. Studies on iron supplementation during pregnancy are virtually “non-existent”

20. Mercury is known to impact the endocrine (hormone) system - and insulin

certainly is a hormone!

But what else does insulin do?

As I poured over countless journal articles, countless research papers, countless news articles, looking for answers to my son’s troubles, a quote I had looked at so times was finally seen in a new light:

“Insulin is known to cause a rapid and marked stimulation of iron uptake by fat cells, redistributing transferrin receptors from an intracellular membrane compartment to the cell surface (45)” [20, 45]

Why is that important? For several reasons!

Note that in addition to regulating glucose levels, insulin is also involved in the synthesis or production of fat! [46, 47]

In order to understand the importance of the above quote as it relates to insulin, iron and fat, it is critical to keep in mind 2 things. 1) Iron is very, very toxic and 2) iron and insulin modulate each other.

Let us remember that via prenatal vitamins alone women could be getting up to 90 mg of iron per day. Yet the body only absorbs 1 mg/day and also excretes about 1 mg/day.

Over the course of pregnancy, assuming that prenatal vitamins are taken for about 7 months (since a women is about 2 months pregnant before she realizes she is pregnant, goes to the doctor and is placed on prenatal vitamins, etc.) that means a woman could receive almost an extra 20 GRAMS of iron during pregnancy – from prenatal vitamins alone.

Iron is supposed to be a trace element - as clearly indicated in the above quote from the Nutrient Absorption article from the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine [31]. The work of Roberta Crawford [27] also clearly indicates that the body appears to need only 1 mg/day of iron and she states in her article entitled A New Perspective On Iron Deficiency, a presentation given to the NIH in 2001, that women in reproductive years need perhaps only 1.5 mg of iron per day - as opposed to the 30 mg/day recommended by government agencies and the 90 mg/day actually found in some prenatal vitamins!

Note that it takes only 1 gram of iron to cause severe poisoning in a child under the age of 2 and that 3 grams is a lethal dose [48]!

Actually, the USFDA itself states that even smaller doses can be lethal to a small child. I quote:

“For a small child, as little as 600 mg of iron can be fatal” [49].

For those not familiar with weights and measures, 1000 mg = 1 gram [50].

Note that this quote pertaining to the 600 mg being enough to be fatal in a small child is taken from an article published by the USFDA in 1996. Since then, this article has been “Revised – June 1997”. I was unable to find the “revised version” on the Internet to see whether or not this particular comment has been changed or if it remains the same in the revised edition. Note that previous versions of the same document still had this same quoted amount of 600 mg as being lethal to a small child.

If 3 grams is a lethal dose in a child under the age of 2, and 600 mg can be a lethal dose to a small child, how much would it take to cause a lethal dose in a child still in the womb – a child with a very immature detoxification and immune system!

Let us quickly calculate how much iron a woman receives during pregnancy via prenatal vitamins alone assuming the 90 mg/day dose:

Assume 7 months on prenatal vitamins. That equals about 210 days on prenatal vitamins.

210 days x 90 mg/day = 18900 mg over the course of pregnancy or about 19 GRAMS – and that is JUST from prenatal vitamins and that is if the mother is only on prenatal vitamins for 7 months – she may be on them longer than that!

As such, it is safe to say, that with the inclusion of dietary sources, lack of the menstrual flow, etc., a woman would easily be getting up to an extra 20+ GRAMS of iron over the course of pregnancy. This is an incredible amount of iron indeed given the body only absorbs 1 mg/day via the intestines.

So, how much does that leave going to either storage or an unborn child?

Amount absorbed over 210 days = 210 mg given we absorb 1 mg/day

18900 mg minus 210 mg = 18, 690 mg or 18.7 GRAMS of excess iron –> just from prenatal vitamins over just 7 months (this does not include excess dietary iron from food and water or excess iron due to the lack of a menstrual flow during pregnancy – yet another source of iron – for the unborn child)!

Keep in mind also that if this excess iron is indeed finding its way to the unborn child given iron preferentially crosses the placenta [33] – that unborn child has a very immature liver - the body’s main detoxifying organ – a liver that is not even producing any significant amounts of bile until several months after birth - a liver that would have to also work with very immature kidneys to attempt to flush toxins from this child still developing in the womb.

I quote from Boyd Haley’s testimony in Government Reform Hearing on vaccine injury:

“A single vaccine given to a six-pound newborn is the equivalent of giving a 180-pound adult 30 vaccinations on the same day. Include in this the toxic effects of high levels of aluminum and formaldehyde contained in some vaccines, and the synergist toxicity could be increased to unknown levels. Further, it is very well known that infants do not produce significant levels of bile or have adult renal capacity for several months after birth. Bilary transport is the major biochemical route by which mercury is removed from the body, and infants cannot do this very well. They also do not possess the renal (kidney) capacity to remove aluminum. Additionally, mercury is a well-known inhibitor of kidney function.”—Boyd Haley Ph.D” [51].

Now, let us return to that very critical quote regarding insulin, iron and fat:

Why else was this quote so critical?

The body stored TOXINS in fat! [52].

I quote:

“Detoxification is also an important component in treating obesity. Many of the toxins we ingest or make are stored in the fatty tissues: hence, obesity is almost always associated with toxicity. When we lose weight, we reduce our body fat and thereby our toxic load. However, during weight loss we also release more toxins and need to protect ourselves from nutrient depletion through extra supplementation, including taking additional antioxidants to balance these toxins. Exercise will also promote the loss of excess pounds and help further detoxification” [52].

Via exercise, toxins were lost through sweat - explaining why exercise and saunas are helpful in detoxification. The fact that toxins are stored in fat is a well-known fact in the scientific community. Perhaps this all played into the yo-yo weight loss/gain so many women and men now complained about.

Personally, I knew that I have never seem been able to keep off those extra pounds that had resulted from my pregnancies - in spite of literally spending hundreds and hundreds of hours on a treadmill over the years. Like many people, I feel I have about an extra 20 pounds or so I just never seem to be able to keep off. No matter how much time I spend on the treadmill, it seems that within a month or two of stopping the treadmill, the weight is all back on... even though I still go for walks, and try to be more careful about what I eat, etc. Why?

Could this be due to the fact that although I have burned all those fat calories via exercise, I have not flushed the toxins themselves from my body? I now suspect this may indeed be the case and the answer to why obesity and diabetes are so closely associated.

How many toxins can truly be excreted if the body has no good mechanisms for flushing excess iron [31], for flushing mercury - a substance that has a half-life of 20+ years in the human body [53], for flushing aluminum - a substance that is known to increase cell membrane permeability and interact with iron. I quote:

“Another peer-reviewed study demonstrated that aluminum levels in mouse brain increase following administration of aluminum adjuvanted vaccines (Redhead, Quinlan, et al, 1992). Moreover, the paper cites increasing evidence that aluminum ions can contribute to increased permeability of the blood brain barrier, acting synergistically with iron ions3. “ [54].

Aluminum is also known to quickly find its way into cells within the human body – within hours - [55].

Note that increasing permeability of cells would not only facilitate toxins finding their way into the cells, it could also allow needed proteins out – most likely seriously impacting internal workings of each cell!

With the burning of fat, if toxins are indeed stored in fat in the human body, all those toxins are released into the bloodstream via exercise and the burning of fat, but are not necessarily flushed from the body due to the body’s very limited ability to deal with or flush toxic metals such as iron, aluminum and mercury.

Thus, would it not stand to reason that once all these toxins enter the bloodstream due to the burning of fat, the body would start to produce more fat, to once again store those toxins – now in the bloodstream - and keep them away from critical organs?

Keep in mind also... the brain is very much a “fat type organ” – especially given myelin – the substance that coats neurons and allows communication among neurons – is composed proteins packed between two layers of lipids [56]. Lipids include any of a group of organic compounds that includes fats, oils, waxes, sterols, and triglycerides [57].

It is certainly known that toxins such as metals accumulate in this “fatty organ” - the brain [42, 58]! Why should this surprise us given the body stores toxins in fat!

Also, cholesterol is a fat and is closely tied to heart attacks/strokes. Thus, again, could that be because the body stores toxins in fat and the fact that there is an accumulation of cholesterol may be an indication of toxicity in the heart given it is known that toxins such as metals accumulate in all major organs [44].

And, not surprisingly, insulin has recently been found to help patients who suffer from heart attacks/strokes. I quote:

“This is a hormone that is known to lower blood sugar, but nobody knew it had this amazing anti-inflammatory activity…Proof of that ability comes from a study whose results appear in the Feb. 24 [2004] issue of Circulation…We actually succeeded in demonstrating that damage to the heart muscle is markedly reduced by giving insulin in the hours after a heart attack... Insulin has several beneficial effects, Dandona says. One is to block the production of plasminogen activator inhibitor, a molecule that lessens the effect of clot-dissolving drugs. Another is to reduce the damage caused by free radicals, molecules that attack the heart muscle [59].”

Note that it is absolutely known that iron causes “free radicals” to form and that iron also very much accumulates in the heart - indeed - in all major organs!

So, again, we must ask a question:

Will controlling obesity really prevent diabetes, heart disease and kidney failure as organizations such as the International Diabetes Foundation would suggest or is diabetes the sign of metal toxicity - metal toxicity making it necessary for the body to produce fat in order to store toxins away from critical organs because the body has no good mechanisms for riding itself of toxins such as metals like aluminum, mercury and iron?

Are we seeing an explosion in diabetes and obesity because people are simply lazier or may it play more into the fact that we are all more metal toxic and that insulin may play a critical role in metal detoxification?

As such, excess insulin production would be part of the answer - “the effect” - and not the underlying cause of issues with insulin which are now so closely tied to so many disorders – disorders that all too often appear to be very rooted in metal toxicity [42, 58, 60]!

This quote... certainly makes me believe that this may indeed be the case ...

The fact that there is a RAPID uptake of iron by FAT cells and the fact that TOXINS ARE STORED IN FAT has now made me very suspicious that insulin may play a critical role in metal detoxification!

And could gender differences in terms of fat metabolism not play into this also? I quote:

“Insulin is the main hormone that promotes glucose transport into muscle cells to be used as energy, and it is a potent inhibitor of HSL... HSL is located directly in the fat cell and is stimulated by the hormone epinephrine. When HSL is stimulated, it acts to break apart TG in the adipose tissue and release three FFA and glycerol into the blood stream” [47].

HSL refers to hormone sensitive lipase [47]. It plays a critical role in the burning of fat [40].

Now why would insulin work in inhibiting the action of HSL and be considered a potent inhibitor of something that is supposed to help us in the burning of fat? [47] This means that in effect, insulin would in some way inhibit the burning of fat? True, insulin is tied to the formation of fat. Yet, obesity is supposed to “cause” or “contribute” to diabetes? Something did not seem right here!

Could this potent inhibition of HSL by insulin have something to do with the fact that this may be a way to prevent the breakdown of fats which would in turn release toxins into the bloodstream? Very interesting questions indeed!

Could gender differences in fat metabolism, as they relate to estrogen and testosterone not also play into the fact that more boys than girls are impacted by disorders such as autism given testosterone and estrogen appear to impact insulin and fat production differently in males and females [47] and given the fact that serum iron levels are also impacted by estrogen and testosterone, with testosterone reducing serum iron measurements and estrogen – and oral contraceptives - increasing them [61].

Of course, estrogen and testosterone also pose other “gender issues” when it comes to metal toxicity and perhaps explain the 4:1 ratio of boys to girls impacted by disorders such as austism, as testified to by metals expert, Boyd Haley. I quote:

“Studies on the toxicity of mercury to mammalian neurons in culture demonstrate that low nanomolar levels can have lethal effects. Experiments using this system have also demonstrated, in agreement with published literature, that many antibiotics, other heavy metals and chemicals increase the toxicity of mercury and thimerosal (ethyl mercury). Additionally, in this same system the female hormone estrogen decreases thimerosal’s toxic effects. In contrast, the male hormone testosterone greatly increases the toxicity. This may explain the 4 to 1 ratio of boys to girls that become autistic and the observation that boys represent the vast majority of the severe cases of autism” [62, emphasis added].

So, I now know that fat is tied to toxicity and that insulin is tied to fat production and that fat production is impacted by estrogen and testosterone. All this was absolutely interrelated. But, there are other reasons for which I now believe insulin may play a critical role in metal detoxification.

For example, iron that went to the production of blood is recycled by the liver and stored in the liver, spleen and bone marrow [63]. It did not appear to be stored in fat!

And so, again, if insulin is causing a rapid uptake of iron by fat cells and we store toxins in fat, is this an indication to us of how toxic iron really is – as, in my opinion, is the fact that the body only absorbs 1 mg or iron per day via the intestines. Perhaps this should be an indication to us that the body really does not need that much iron – a metal that is supposed to be a trace mineral in the human body! That extra 20 grams or so of iron that women receive over the course of pregnancy from basically prenatal vitamins alone certainly no longer made iron a trace element in many a woman’s body – even though a serious misunderstanding of “anemia” in the medical community may make it appear as though women are low on iron when in fact – they may be very iron loaded!

So, again, are women being poisoned via prenatal vitamins? Is this what leads to the development of gestational diabetes… something that then sets you up for Type 2 diabetes which in turn then sets you up for a greater risk for Alzheimer’s?

Interestingly, studies are now starting to show that in Alzheimer’s beta amyloid might be playing a PROTECTIVE role, protecting the brain from oxidative stress due to iron [64, 65].

Note that amyloid plaques were also found in the pancreas of persons with Type 2 diabetes [66].

Could amyloid actually play a protective role, protecting against oxidative stress? How very interesting indeed – especially given it is known that secretin, a precursor to insulin – something known to impact insulin – something currently being looked at for the treatment of autism and schizophrenia by Repligen Corporation – is found in the very parts of the brain that are most impacted in autism, Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia – the cerebellum, the hippocampus and the amygdale! I quote:

“Additionally, recent studies have shown secretin to be present in the amygdala, hippocampus and cerebellum—three areas of the brain that are known to be defective in autism.” [67]

These areas are absolutely impacted in schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s also.

Could secretin – a precursor to insulin - be doing something to activate specific pools of insulin in these areas of the brain in order to try to protect the brain from metal toxicity? Note that these areas of the brain, based on their functions, would certainly appear to be impacted most by environmental factors than genetics. The cerebellum is involved in the coordination of motor functions, speech and perhaps higher thought processes and emotions as well. The hippocampus is tied to the formation of new memories. The amygdale is tied to emotions. Again, these are functions that are certainly very much impacted by environmental factors [4, 5,6, 7, 8, 9, 36].

Note that according to the article entitled Cross-Talk Between Iron Metabolism And Diabetes, iron, when found in the pancreas, accumulated exclusively in the beta cells of the pancreas. I quote:

“In fact, iron deposition in islets, albeit variable, is restricted to b-cells” [20, 68]. Note that b-cells, also known as beta cells are the very cells responsible for the production of insulin. I suspect the liver and pancreas may both play roles in metal detoxification – perhaps explaining their seemingly greater affinity for things like iron.

Also, keeping in mind that iron and insulin modulate one another, studies also indicate that giving blood helps to regulate insulin and glucose levels [20].

Also interesting are a few other positives that came with giving blood. I quote (note references within quote are references used in the article I am citing here – my reference 20):

“Frequent blood donations, leading to decreased iron stores, have been demonstrated to reduce postprandial hyperinsulinemiain healthy volunteers (11), to improve insulin sensitivity (12),and to constitute a protective factor for the development ofType 2 diabetes (13). Phlebotomy was followed by decreases inserum glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides and apoprotein B (14),and by improvement in both ß-cell secretion and peripheralinsulin action in patients with Type 2 diabetes (15). A significantimpact of tissue iron excess on systemic effects of diabetesis suggested by recent reports in which iron appears to influencethe development of diabetic nephropathy and vascular dysfunction.In this sense, intravenous administration of deferoxamine resultedin improved coronary artery responses to cold stress testingin type 2 diabetic subjects (16) and in amelioration of endothelialdysfunction in subjects with coronary heart disease (17).

All these observations suggest that iron is more intimately linked to human pathophysiology than previously thought. Infact, iron metabolism is closely associated with the clinicalpresentation of numerous systemic diseases (18). Tissue iron excess contributes to produce and amplify the injury causedby free radicals as well as to modulate various steps involvedin the inflammatory lesion [20, emphasis added].

Note the many benefits of flushing excess iron listed in the above quote. In giving blood, a person would be flushing excess iron... and as such, this certainly makes sense given the fact that iron and insulin modulate one another and given the body stores toxins in fat! Note also the statement on inflammation and free radicals – both problems in heart attacks - both things very much tied to iron overload – both things helped by insulin, as previously indicated.

It is also important to realize that beta amyloid is considered a metalloprotein. This has implications for the formation of free radicals from things like copper and iron. I quote:

“Among the brain abnormalities found in Alzheimer’s disease is a buildup of the protein called beta amyloid. Recent studies have shown that beta amyloid is a metalloprotein, housing atoms of zinc, copper and iron deep within its folds. Researchers speculate that those bits of metal might be the key to the damage of Alzheimer’s disease—and perhaps to its treatment.

Copper, zinc and iron can all react with oxygen. Oxygen is a critical component in our body’s production of energy, but that energy is generated with a price. The byproducts of energy production, called free radicals, are toxic, damaging DNA and proteins. Copper can promote the production of these free radicals, while zinc has antioxidant properties, protecting against free radical damage. And free radical damage appears to be a significant component of Alzheimer’s disease and the formation of amyloid plaques…new metal-binding drugs effectively “melted” the amyloid plaques in living mice in as little as nine weeks, and are now in clinical trials with Alzheimer’s patients” [69].

Thus, certainly, at least from this research scientists are seeing that metals very much appear to play a role in Alzheimer’s disease and that the removal of metals leads to the “melting away” of plaques. Note that chelation – a process for pulling metals out of the body - should not be undertaken in persons with dental amalgam (mercury fillings known as “silver fillings” by the general public) because that could pull mercury out of the teeth and potentially lodge it in vital organs – leading to potentially more damage [60].

But there are other things that have now convinced me that metals very much play into mental illness – metals like iron, mercury and aluminum.

Indeed, as with so many things… there is always two sides to the coin.

For example, when it came to iron, Alzheimer’s and autism, we have some scientists saying that Alzheimer’s and autism may be caused by a lack of iron [70, 71] and others, saying Alzheimer’s and autism could result from too much iron [64, 168]. So, again, which is it? Given everything I had now read on the issue of iron, personally, I suspect the issue is one of too much iron – NOT too little!

It was interesting to note that even within one of these articles on “lack of iron being the problem” that the following comment is made – I quote:

“Dr. David Bennett, director of the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center in Chicago, says he’s not aware of any population studies linking low iron to dementia. But other researchers have found a link between high iron levels in the brain and Alzheimer’s, he says” [70].

Well… I suspect – in the end - both camps might be right.

The answer to issues of iron may reside in the fact that there are “different types or forms” of iron and that iron that goes to blood (or heme) appears to be stored in the spleen, thymus, liver and bone marrow whereas iron that goes to storage may be getting stored in fat or other critical organs where it is able to cause tremendous damage!

Let us remember the words of Roberta Crawford, President of the Iron Overload Diseases Association during her presentation to the NIH, a presentation entitled “A New Perspective On Iron Deficiency” – I quote:

“A prevailing myth [emphasis added] says that iron deficiency is the world’s greatest nutritional problem.

Let’s define anemia: a deficiency of red cells or hemoglobin, or red cells that die too young or are discolored or possess an abnormal shape, or red cells that lack adequate iron….

Iron is in just about everything. If you are not absorbing the one daily milligram, you are truly on a starvation diet, and low iron is the least of your worries.” [emphasis added] [27].

Thus, I think perhaps the “iron deficiency” issue may really boil down to a very serious lack of understanding in the medical and research community in matters of “iron deficiency”, “anemia”, “iron overload” and “iron storage”. Until the scientific and medical communities understand these issues, I fear many more will be “Fortified, Drugged and/or Annihilated” courtesy of the Failing In Duties Administration or FDA – the agency that itself admits 600 mg of iron is a lethal dose to small children [49] – the same agency that allows prenatal vitamins – loaded with iron - to be unregulated [49] in spite of clearly very toxic doses of iron contained in these vitamins – doses of iron that may now be responsible for the tremendous explosion in diabetes in both children and adults, the tremendous explosion in mental illness and indeed, in the many, many miscarriages so many women now seem to suffer!

Of course, why should this surprise us given this is the same agency that allows vaccines containing mercury – one of the most toxic substances known to man - to be approved with no study on the safety of mercury in vaccines for over 80 years [35], the same agency that approves vaccines based on 30 day studies [72] (some shorter, i.e., longest MMR study was 3 weeks long [73]), the same agency that continues to allow mercury in vaccines in spite of knowing how toxic it truly is [74], the same agency that considers aluminum “GRAS” or Generally Regarded As Safe and completely fails to regulate aluminum as it relates to the amount or use of aluminum in spite of the fact that it has never been tested by the FDA on its safety [75] – aluminum – known neurotoxic [76] that has been shown to inhibit growth and nutrient uptake [76], to increase the permeability of the blood brain barrier [54] and perhaps of cells membranes overall [55], to cause heme deficienty [70] and to bind to lactoferrin [55].

Thus, given this “track record”, why should we be surprised by the fact that studies on iron supplementation in pregnancy are “virtually non-existent” [34].

Is a lack of understanding as it relates to “iron overload” and/or “iron deficiency” one of the factors contributing to all the confusion when it comes to the role of metals such as iron in mental illnesses such as autism, Alzheimer’s, etc? It certainly appears that this is indeed the case.

Persons uninformed as far as “anemia” or “iron deficiency” issues could easily mistake “iron deficiency” as the problem when in fact the problem is not too little iron but TOO MUCH - as clearly indicated in the article by Roberta Crawford entitled A New Perspective On Iron Deficiency - showing that what some mistake for “iron deficiency” may actually be a sign of iron overload with iron going to storage instead of blood production [27].

So, in that sense, yes, there may be too little iron in that it is not going to blood production – and hence – this could certainly lead to “heme deficiency” - but that does not equate to the fact that there is too little iron in the body overall!

Could it be that indeed, in these disorders there did exist “heme deficiency” and “iron overload” - both - at once? As I looked deeper into these issues, it very much appeared that this might indeed be the case.

Let us expand on this issue a little further...

In Alzheimer’s and autism, clearly it was known that these persons were very low in vitamin B6!

Indeed, the Kirkman Labs supplement called SuperNuThera, a product I had once given to my son, used to contain a whopping 25,000% RDA for B6. This had been true until the Spring of 2002, at which time the recommended dose amount was halved - as clearly indicated in the company’s product guides before and after Spring 2002 [77]. A copy of this supplement’s components was provided in my first book - posted in full on this website - in Chapter 11 - the chapter on supplements [78].

Note that excessive doses of B6 are associated with peripheral nerve damage [79].

B6 has several critical functions that play into all this.

B6 is involved in:

1. The production of blood – I quote:

“Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin that exists in three major chemical forms: pyridoxine, pyridoxal, and pyridoxamine (1, 2). It performs a wide variety of functions in your body and is essential for your good health. For example, vitamin B6 is needed for more than 100 enzymes involved in protein metabolism. It is also essential for red blood cell metabolism. The nervous and immune systems need vitamin B6 to function efficiently, (3-6) and it is also needed for the conversion of tryptophan (an amino acid) to niacin (a vitamin) (1, 7). Hemoglobin within red blood cells carries oxygen to tissues. Your body needs vitamin B6 to make hemoglobin. Vitamin B6 also helps increase the amount of oxygen carried by hemoglobin. A vitamin B6 deficiency can result in a form of anemia (1) that is similar to iron deficiency anemia” [80].

2. The excretion of iron – I quote:

“Vitamin B6 promotes iron excretion and this has been used as a rationale for treatment in iron storage diseases” [81].

3. The prevention of seizures – I quote:

“The only vitamin deficiency known to cause or worsen seizures is a deficiency of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)” [82].

4. The production of insulin – I quote:

“”Diabetes seems to produce a deficiency in vitamin B6. This vitamin, which plays an important role in food metabolism as well as DNA and RNA synthesis, also helps with insulin production” [83].

5. Improving glucose tolerance – I quote:

“Gestational diabetes is another condition in which vitamin B6 therapy has been reported to be of value. Physicians from the Netherlands studied the effect of 100 g of pyridoxine supplementation on 14 women with gestational diabetes. After two weeks of supplementation and dieting, all 14 women had improved glucose tolerance and 12 of the 14 no longer had gestational diabetes” [84].

6. Proper functioning of the nervous system – I quote:

“Vitamin B6 is needed for the synthesis of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine (1). These neurotransmitters are required for normal nerve cell communication. Researchers have been investigating the relationship between vitamin B6 status and a wide variety of neurologic conditions such as seizures, chronic pain, depression, headache, and Parkinson’s disease (18)” [80].

Note that serotonin is a hormone that plays a role in the regulation of sleep patterns [85]. Elevated dopamine levels are closely linked to schizophrenia [86].

7. The production of bile – I quote:

“The liver forms its bile pigments from hemoglobin” [87].

Thus, if you need B6 to form hemoglobin, you need B6, indirectly, to form bile also!

8. Possibly – a role in the elimination of copper - I quote:

“Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine or pyridoxal-5-phosphate). This is another copper antagonist that may be helpful during a copper elimination” [88].

9. The production of epinephrine - also known as adrenaline - a muscle stimulant used by the body to deal with stress – I quote:

“Vitamin B-6 (Pyridoxine) plays a role as cofactor in most enzymes that support amino acid metabolism. It controls the absorption, metabolism and conversion of amino acids into neurotransmitters, antibodies, digestive enzymes, muscles and tissues in the body. Vitamin B-6 is a coenzyme for several enzyme systems. It is vital in the metabolism of amino acids in the intestines. It allows the amino acids to be synthesized, broken down and absorbed. The forming of histamine, serotonin, dopamine and adrenaline are dependent on Vitamin B-6 (Pyridoxine). The liver requires a lot of vitamin B-6 (Pyridoxine) to function. The total dopamine content in the brain is formed by Vitamin B-6. Vitamin B-6 (Pyridoxine) breaks down in the body to pyridoxic acid, which is excreted in the urine. This acid tends to remove calcium oxalate gravel in the urinary tract.” [89]

10. The prevention of heart attacks and regulation of homocysteine levels – I quote:

“Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) is involved in more bodily functions than almost any other single nutrient. It affects both physical and mental health, and is necessary for the production of hydrochloric acid and the absorption of fats and protein. Pyridoxine also aids in maintaining sodium and potassium balance and promotes red blood cell formation. It is required by the nervous system for normal brain function, for the synthesis of RNA and DNA, which contain the genetic instructions for the reproduction of all cells and for normal cellular growth. It activates many enzymes and aids in the absorption of vitamin B12, in immune system function, and in antibody production… It is estimated that individuals with low vitamin B6 levels have a five times greater risk of suffering a heart attack than individuals with higher