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On the Dr Oz show
April is National Autism Awareness Month
Autism is a condition characterized by difficulties with social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive behaviors or narrow, obsessive interests that usually become apparent before a child is three years old. Autism spectrum or autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has three primary forms:
- Classic autism
- Asperger syndrome
- Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS).
It is now estimated that the prevalence of autism in the United States has risen to 1 in every 88 births and almost 1 in 54 boys. The cause of autism is extremely controversial. It does have a strong genetic component, but like most health conditions dietary and environmental factors play a huge role in whether the genetic predisposition will manifest and to what severity.
For more information, go to Autism Speaks – the world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization. For natural approaches to autism, please consult the 3rd Edition of the Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine.
For more information, please see the completely revised and updated 3rd edition of The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine.
Mind Your Ps and Qs
PQQ may be the perfect answer to preventing or reversing age-related mental decline.
kiwiPQQ (short for pyrroloquinoline quinone) is a vitamin-like compound found in plant foods that shows a wide range of benefits for brain function and energy production. Learn more about PQQ with the following Q&A.
What Exactly Does PQQ Do?
PQQ is an extremely potent antioxidant that is able to carry out the role of an antioxidant in the body more than 20,000 times—which is a rare thing. For example, other antioxidants, such as vitamin C, are only able to accomplish this “cycling” process about four times.
Are There Any Food Sources of PQQ?
PQQ has been found in all plant foods analyzed to date. Particularly PPQ-rich foods include parsley, green peppers, kiwi, papaya, and tofu. These foods contain 2–3 mcg of PQQ per 100 grams. Green tea provides about the same amount per 4-oz. serving. While these amounts appear to be sufficient in helping our cells carry out their basic functions, research indicates that boosting PQQ through supplementation can produce some amazing effects.