Dufault RJ. Biomarkers for tracking metabolic changes pre-post nutritional epigenetics diet/intervention to prevent autism and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders in children. World J Exp Med 2025; 15(2): 101555 [DOI: 10.5493/wjem.v15.i2.101555]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Renee J Dufault, PhD, College of Graduate Health Studies, A.T. Still University, 800 W Jefferson Street, Kirksville, MO 63501, United States. rdufault@atsu.edu
Research Domain of This Article
Toxicology
Article-Type of This Article
Opinion Review
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Exp Med. Jun 20, 2025; 15(2): 101555 Published online Jun 20, 2025. doi: 10.5493/wjem.v15.i2.101555
Biomarkers for tracking metabolic changes pre-post nutritional epigenetics diet/intervention to prevent autism and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders in children
Renee J Dufault
Renee J Dufault, College of Graduate Health Studies, A.T. Still University, Kirksville, MO 63501, United States
Renee J Dufault, Food Ingredient and Health Research Institute, Naalehu, HI 96772, United States
Author contributions: Dufault RJ conducted the brief literature review and developed and wrote the manuscript in its entirety.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author reports no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Renee J Dufault, PhD, College of Graduate Health Studies, A.T. Still University, 800 W Jefferson Street, Kirksville, MO 63501, United States. rdufault@atsu.edu
Received: September 20, 2024 Revised: January 20, 2025 Accepted: February 6, 2025 Published online: June 20, 2025 Processing time: 209 Days and 2.9 Hours
Abstract
The prevalence of autism and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders is increasing worldwide. Recent studies suggest the excessive intake of ultra-processed food plays a role in the inheritance of these disorders via heavy metal exposures and nutritional deficits that impact the expression of genes. In the case of the metallothionein (MT) gene, biomarker studies show dietary zinc (Zn) deficits impact MT protein levels in children with autism and are associated with the bioaccumulation of lead and/or mercury in children exhibiting autism/attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders symptomology. The impact of dietary changes on lead and mercury exposures and MT gene behavior could be determined using a randomized test and control group design. Pregnant women serving in the test-group would participate in a nutritional epigenetics education intervention/course designed to reduce ultra-processed food intake and heavy metal levels in blood while increasing whole food intake and MT and Zn levels. Changes in maternal diet would be measured using data derived from an online diet survey administered to the test and control groups pre-post intervention. Changes in maternal lead, mercury, Zn, and MT levels would be measured via blood sample analyses prior to the intervention and after childbirth via cord blood analyses to determine infant risk factors.
Core Tip: Increasing evidence supports the nutritional epigenetics model for autism and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders that explains how unhealthy diet contributes to the epigenetic inheritance of these disorders. An unhealthy diet characterized by excessive intake of ultra-processed foods results in heavy metal exposures and deficits in zinc that may impact metallothionein gene function. Metallothionein gene malfunction may result in the bioaccumulation of mercury and/or lead in the blood depending on diet. Nutritional epigenetics education may be used as an intervention to reduce the intake of ultra-processed foods and heavy metals in expectant mothers and prevent the development of autism and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders in children.
