Question about "absorption"--

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Question about "absorption"--
4
Mon, 11-20-2006 - 3:09pm

As I mentioned in another post, I got to the ASD parents' support group meeting while the previous meeting was still going on. They were talking about how you can't just give a multivitamin to a kid and expect it to work if they have "absorption" issues.


So--here's my question.


First, how do you know if your child has absorption issues?


Second, if your child does have absorption issues, then what *can* you do to circumvent them so your child gets the nutrients and stuff he or she needs?


Thanks!


iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Mon, 11-20-2006 - 7:13pm

That old leaky gut thing.

I recently watched a special on PBS that was very related to this but not about autism per se. It was about Brenda Watson's HOPE formula. Anyway she finally explained for me clearly what leaky gut is and has some recomendations.

Her formula is based on the HOPE acronym and is alot of stuff that we all do anyway.

H - High Fiber
O - Omega 3
P - Probiotics
E - (digestive) Enzymes.

These together help digestive issues in general part of which is helping us to absorb our nutrients properly.

What you heard is true. In fact I read in Alternative Health magazine, we aren't what we eat. We are what we absorb. Creating a good digestive environment is even MORE important for our ASD kids who tend toward more digestive and absorption issues.

Renee

Photobucket
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Mon, 11-20-2006 - 8:05pm

Thank you!


That was very helpful and simple.


Avatar for littleroses
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-28-2003
Mon, 11-20-2006 - 9:36pm

I just had to add a thought. (surprise!LOL) Absorption is an issue, but so is release and receptivity. Many vitamins and minerals are stored in the liver. The liver doesn't always release these stored vitamins properly in diabetics. Vitamin A, stored in the liver and diabetics lose eyesight. B vitamins, also stored in the liver so methylation and homocysteine are impaired (among the many, many other B functions).

Because most ASD children ultimately seem to have a disrupted endocrine system, it is no surprise they have many issues related to diabetes. This might also include how vitamins and minerals are released by the liver. Diabetics suffer from vitamin deficiencies. Not only is the liver holding on to vitamins and not using it properly, but due to the desensitized insulin receptors, they can no longer carry nutrients into the cells as well. One of insulin's functions is to carry nutrients into the cells. When the receptors are desensitzed, insulin has less bang for it's buck. Vitamin C is one of those needed to be brought into the cells by insulin. And it's an easy lookup of what a lack of vit C can do to you.

I think the high dose B vitamins, for a subset of people, is overcompensating for the hyper storage by the liver, or flooding it until the body actually gets what it needs. This does not work for some people.

Perhaps a gut malabsorption issue exacerbates the body into hoarding more vitamins in the liver or something? I don't know. Something I'll have to look up later.

The question of how do you know if your child has malabsorption...that is something you could possibly get tested or read about vitamins and come to learn what low level deficiency looks like. My oldest daughter had a tendency for cracks in the corner of her mouth which having more riboflavin helped. Things like that, which are confounding and time consuming. Just like ASD, I guess. LOL

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-11-2003
Tue, 11-21-2006 - 12:10pm

Well, we knew our daughter wasn't absorbing the magnesium we were giving her because we took her to a DAN NP who ran blood & urine tests (ION Panel). The blood levels of magnesium were low despite the fact she'd been taking magnesium daily. (she was also low in lots of other stuff too some we'd been giving and some not) The DAN wanted us to use liquid supplements to help with absorption. Dd won't take liquids so we opted for different brands/types of supplements and digestive enzymes & added a second probiotic. I think she is absorbing magnesium now (switched from magnesium citrate to KAL magnesium glycinate) because she got loose stools (a side effect of too much magnesium). We actually had to lower her magnesium dose.

HTH's,
Samantha

Samantha