Check Cholesterol If Dealing with Autism (Premium)
The public is aware of the focus put on high cholesterol levels by cardiologists. But, we don’t hear much about how low cholesterol levels can affect someone.
Dr. William Shaw, Director of Great Plains Laboratory (now named Mosaic, discovered that the majority of kids on the autism spectrum have low (to extremely low) levels of cholesterol. The good news is, it appears it can be treated.
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Dr. Shaw in an interview with the National Institutes of Health said: “There was a very nice study that showed that children who were kicked out of school (grammar school, kicked out for bad behavior) a very high percentage had very low cholesterol values, like 130 or lower for the total cholesterol. You think of cholesterol as being something bad, but it’s actually an essential food item just like other vitamins and minerals. And unfortunately, the companies making the statin drugs want to promote that cholesterol is almost like a toxic chemical.
Dr. Shaw explained: “The brain is the most cholesterol-rich organ in the body requiring a large amount to sustain the myelin sheath which coats nerve cells and helps conduct electrical impulses. Cholesterol plays a very important role in brain functioning.
In one published study, participants with low, so-called “desirable” cholesterol levels (less than 5.17 mmol/L; 200 mg/dL) performed poorer on a range of cognitive functions than participants with borderline-high cholesterol
Cholesterol screening is an extremely useful tool to determine if dietary changes and cholesterol supplementation are necessary. Dr. Shaw suggests that the test is inexpensive and should be ordered routinely by physicians for their patients with autism, and that parents of children with autism should seek testing for cholesterol deficiency without hesitation.
Both Dr. Shaw and Dr. Woeller, below, recommend a pure medical grade cholesterol supplementation called “Sonic Cholesterol” that is available with a physician prescription through New Beginnings Nutritionals for patients with cholesterol values that fall within the required low range.
Dr. Kurt Woeller on low cholesterol and supplements
In this reader-friendly video, Kurt Woeller, DO, gives an overview on low cholesterol that can occur with autism and be treated with cholesterol supplementation.
Dr William Shaw on low cholesterol in autism
For a comprehensive, clinical-level discussion on low-cholesterol, Dr. Shaw’s presentation is a valuable classic. The presentation is nearly two hours in length. Note: Dr. Shaw volunteers on the advisory board for ACN Latitudes, with no financial connection to our organization of any kind.
Readers may want to start at about 24 minutes into the video.
Please give us your feedback
If you test cholesterol levels for a child or adult with autism and use a cholesterol supplement, such as Sonic Cholesterol, please comment to let us know the results you observe.
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