Positive Health Online

If you look up the Oxford Dictionary definition of the word neurodivergent it is this: ‘divergence in mental or neurological function from what is considered typical or normal’. 

Types of neurodivergence include Tourette’s, dyspraxia, synaesthesia, dyscalculia, epilepsy, and chronic mental health illnesses such as bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, borderline personality disorder, anxiety, depression and ADHD. 

So, the word refers to the idea that a person’s brain is processing things differently.

Before getting into the nutrition and potential driving forces that lead to some neurodivergent traits, it is important to understand the difference between ‘neurodiversity’ and ‘neurodivergence’.  Neurodiversity includes us all and works on the assumption that every human is unique.

However, differences do not have to be seen as a disorder, but as natural variations of the human brain.

Dr Rona Tutt, former president of the National Association of Head teachers and a scientific advisor and Trustee of Food for the Brain says “sometimes people are divided into a majority who are described as ‘neurotypical’ – although it’s debatable whether there’s such a thing as ‘typical’ – and a minority who are described as ‘neurodivergent’ or ‘neurodiverse’. (These 2 adjectives are used interchangeably, which sometimes causes confusion).”

Click here to watch the Neurodivergence: Don’t Just Normalise It, Optimise It Webinar >>>

She goes on to say, “Most agree that the environment is another part of the equation. At least part of the rise in these conditions might be attributed… to the unnatural environment in which we live, with the polluted air we breathe, the chemically laden food we eat, and perhaps the way technology dominates our lives, having an adverse effect both before and after we are born.”

I’d also like to point out a common error when issues or traits run in families, these are often described as inherited, implying that it is genetic, when it may be the shared environment – be it nutritional, environmental or psycho-social that drives the heritability, not ‘genes’.

An example of this is that the number of children diagnosed with ADHD and autism and other developmental problems classifying them as ‘neurodivergent’ has rocketed in both the UK and US. “Now, one in six children in the US are classified as neurodivergent and one in 36 as autistic – a fourfold increase in 20 years,” says professor of paediatrics, Alessio Fasano from Harvard Medical School. [1] 

Are Autism, ADHD and other such Conditions Preventable?

In a wider sense, the question is ‘is neurodivergence preventable?’ Preventable in this context doesn’t have to mean ‘completely preventable’ but rather ‘can prevent to an extent’. Thus, anything that lessens the chance of someone becoming neurodivergent or alleviates any of the unpleasant or undesirable symptoms of neurodivergence is helping achieve a degree of prevention.

Since it is not reasonable to argue that the increase in neurodivergence over the past two decades is simply down to better diagnosis, it must follow that part of what is driving the increase is not ‘in the genes’ but in the environment. This could be the nutritional environment, the psychosocial environment and exposure to potential neurotoxins; possibly from industrial, building, agricultural, cosmetic or food chemicals and medicines.

Neurodivergent or Neurodeficient?

In the chart below I’ve listed the most common characteristics in those with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) by the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention. 

I’ve added a column for the nutrients, when deficient, that have been shown to induce these symptoms.

Hcy stands for homocysteine which is the best indicator of lack of methylating B vitamins

The Importance of Maternal Nutrition

Around 70% of all brain cells (neurons) are already formed before birth. What happens at every stage of pregnancy, and especially early on, has a major impact on the child’s development. Consequently, some neurodevelopmental issues that result in symptoms are largely irreversible. Foetal alcohol syndrome is such an example. Knowing this makes it imperative to encourage as much as we can, women who are likely to become pregnant to first optimise their diet and nutrients intake and avoid anti-nutrients – alcohol and smoking are two such anti-nutrients.

As well as avoiding alcohol and smoking during pregnancy we know from a study of 11,875 pregnant women, there is a clear relationship between the amount of seafood consumed by a pregnant woman and their child’s development. The less seafood consumed, the worse the child’s social behaviour, fine motor skills, communication and social development, and verbal IQ.[2] 

Also, a lack of vitamin A during pregnancy, which is another nutrient rich in seafood, can affect brain development and lead to long-term or even permanent impairment in the learning process, memory formation, and cognitive function.[3] 

We also know that a mother’s folate intake predicts the child’s performance in cognitive tests at the age of nine to ten[4] and the higher a baby’s B-vitamin status, the higher their cognitive function at the age of 25.[5] Supplementing mothers-to-be with folic acid (400mcg/day) during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy is associated with better cognition in their children at the age of three and better word reasoning and IQ (verbal and performance) at seven.[6] 

Folate is required for healthy methylation and nothing can be built properly in the brain without healthy methylation, which is reflected by a low homocysteine level. Raised homocysteine is a well-known predictor of miscarriage and pregnancy problems, which is why I recommend no woman attempts pregnancy until her homocysteine level is below 7mcmol/l. While we have learned that a homocysteine level above 11 means increased brain shrinkage, even a homocysteine level of above 9 during pregnancy predicts more problems, specifically withdrawn behaviour, anxiety, depression, social problems and aggressive behaviour in the child at the age of six.[7] 

We hope that some of the deficit in brain function can be recovered. The starting point is to provide all brain-dependent nutrients at an optimal level.

Fish and omega-3 are associated with better cognition in children. A study of 541 Chinese schoolchildren found that fish consumption predicted sleep quality and that those who ate the most fish had the highest IQ; 4.8 points higher than those who ate none. Improved sleep quality, linked to fish intake, was correlated with IQ level.[8]

A study in Northern Ireland found that half of schoolchildren were deficient in vitamin D, with a level below 50nmol/l (I recommend above 75 nmol/l). Another found that low vitamin D levels in childhood were related to behaviour problems in adolescence.[9] 

There is, for many children, plenty of room for improvement. Additionally, for parents-to-be, it is of vital importance to optimise nutrition throughout pregnancy. 

Summary

In summary, to build healthy young brains, it is important for mothers-to-be, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers and their children to: 

• Avoid alcohol and smoking, especially during pregnancy but also while breast-feeding;
• Limit or avoid foods with added sugar and follow a low-GL diet; 
• Avoid chemical colouring and flavour additives such as MSG; 
• Optimise omega-3 intake, as phospholipids, from seafood and eggs, and supplement omega-3 DHA and EPA; 
• Optimise vitamins A and D, with sufficient sun exposure to encourage good body stores of vitamin D;
• Ensure healthy methylation with B vitamins, especially vitamin B12 in vegans and those on a largely plant-based diet; 
• Check for food intolerances, including gluten, if digestive symptoms are present; 
• Also note you can do the DRIfT test on any child over 2 years old. Find out more about the DRIfT test here

The Smart Kids initiative is supported by a team of scientists – psychologists, neuroscientists and nutritionists. Learning from our highly successful and practical COGNITION programme to prevent cognitive decline in adults, we’re applying these same principles to help children be as smart and happy as they can be. To join the project and learn how to optimise your child’s potential go to foodforthebrain.org/smartkids and take the Smart Kids Test.  

About The Author

Patrick Holford BSc DipION FBANT NTCRP is a Nutrition and Mental Health expert & Founder of the Institute for Optimum Nutrition, VitaminC4Covid, and the charitable Food for the Brain Foundation. Patrick reads hundreds of studies a year assimilating the latest health breakthroughs and turning them into practical advice to make it easy for everyone to live a healthy life. He is author of 46 health books translated into over 30 languages https://foodforthebrain.org/

Food for the Brain Foundation is a registered charity dedicated to brain health, with a mission to create a future where the importance of nutrition in optimising mental well-being and brain health, as a means of both prevention and treatment, is understood by all and implemented by many. The Food for the Brain Foundation aims to educate and provide important information to all throughout their lives, thereby promoting mental wellbeing and brain health through optimum nutrition. i.e. children, parents, teachers, schools, universities, the public, health professionals, workplace wellbeing teams, food service operators, caterers and the government. See: https://foodforthebrain.org/  

COGNITION for Smart Kids provides a free assessment of a child’s cognition, emotional and behavioural wellbeing and, via the COGNITION questionnaire, assesses key areas of nutrition and lifestyle to address to optimise a child’s cognitive wellbeing. Parents can also opt to undertake a pin prick blood test via a home test kit for omega-3, vitamin D, homocysteine (for B vitamin status), HbA1c (for glucose control) and glutathione (for antioxidants). See foodforthebrain.org/smartkids

References

1. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html
2. Hibbeln JR, Davis JM,] Steer C, Emmett P, Rogers I, Williams C, Golding J. Maternal seafood consumption in pregnancy and neurodevelopmental outcomes in childhood (ALSPAC study): an observational cohort study. Lancet. 2007 Feb 17;369(9561):578-85. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(07)60277-3. PMID: 17307104.
3. Liu Behav Neurol. 2021 Dec 7;2021:5417497
4. Veena SR, Krishnaveni GV, Srinivasan K, Wills AK, Muthayya S, Kurpad AV, Yajnik CS, Fall CH. Higher maternal plasma folate but not vitamin B-12 concentrations during pregnancy are associated with better cognitive function scores in 9- to 10- year-old children in South India. J Nutr. 2010 May;140(5):1014-22. doi: 10.3945/jn.109.118075. Epub 2010 Mar 24. PMID: 20335637; PMCID: PMC3672847.
5. Qin B, Xun P, Jacobs DR Jr, Zhu N, Daviglus ML, Reis JP, Steffen LM, Van Horn L, Sidney S, He K. Intake of niacin, folate, vitamin B-6, and vitamin B-12 through young adulthood and cognitive function in midlife: the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2017 Oct;106(4):1032-1040. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.117.157834. Epub 2017 Aug 2. PMID: 28768650; PMCID: PMC56117
6. McNulty H, Rollins M, Cassidy T, Caffrey A, Marshall B, Dornan J, McLaughlin M, McNulty BA, Ward M, Strain JJ, Molloy AM, Lees-Murdock DJ, Walsh CP, Pentieva K. Effect of continued folic acid supplementation beyond the first trimester of pregnancy on cognitive performance in the child: a follow-up study from a randomized controlled trial (FASSTT Offspring Trial). BMC Med. 2019 Oct 31;17(1):196. doi: 10.1186/s12916-019-1432-4. PMID: 31672132; PMCID: PMC6823954.
7. Roigé-Castellví J, Murphy M, Fernández-Ballart J, Canals J. Moderately elevated preconception fasting plasma total homocysteine is a risk factor for psychological problems in childhood. Public Health Nutr. 2019 Jun;22(9):1615-1623. DOI: 1017/S1368980018003610  . Epub 2019 Jan 14. PMID: 30636652; PMCID: PMC10261079.
8. Liu, J., Cui, Y., Li, L. et al.The mediating role of sleep in the fish consumption – cognitive functioning relationship: a cohort study. Sci Rep 7, 17961 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-17520-w Sonia L Robinson, Constanza Marín, Henry Oliveros, Mercedes Mora-Plazas, Betsy Lozoff, Eduardo Villamor, Vitamin D Deficiency in Middle Childhood Is Related to Behavior Problems in Adolescence, The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 150, Issue 1, 2020, pp.140–148, ISSN 0022-3166, https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxz185.
9. Glatt, D.U., McSorley, E. et al. Vitamin D Status and Health Outcomes in School Children in Northern Ireland: Year One Results from the D-VinCHI Study. Nutrients (2022), 14(4):804. doi: 10.3390/nu14040804.