By Murray Trenberth
Left - the healthy brain of an indulged and much-loved two-year-old. A child who has been talked to, face to face, throughout their childhood. It is very hard to spoil them with attention at this stage.
On the right, that of a baby abused by neglect.
Red shows areas of highest activation, yellow shows areas second most activated; green is moderate, purple shows areas of low activation while black shows areas of no activation.
Genes are not activated in a cupboard, nor in front of a screen.
Hide and silence your cell phone when children are around.
We are also seeing increased neurodiversity in our children because
what pregnant mothers ingest (eat & drink) has changed.
Research analysing over 60,000 mother-child pairs from the University of Copenhagen in the Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood (COPSAC) …show that slight deviations towards a Western diet are linked to a 66% increased risk of ADHD and a 122% increased risk of autism.
The strongest associations in the first and second trimester suggest that brain development during this period is particularly sensitive to maternal nutrition. THEREFORE
Pregnant mothers should avoid drinking alcohol, smoking, vaping and using marijuana. This is old advice, but it is still essential. However, what is new, is that pregnant mothers are strongly advised to make changes to their intake of a range of western convenience foods.
Reduce: biphenol A (BPAs), Ultra Processed Food (UPFs), and high fat/ high sugar content foods. AND
Increase: consumption of fish, fruit and vegetables; especially leafy greens - to raise folate levels.
Explanation: From the fifth week of pregnancy on, the foetal brain is creating 250,000 new cells per minute; this rapidly developing brain is much more vulnerable than one that is fully developed.
This rapidly developing brain is very susceptible to harm from toxins a mother imbibes, like alcohol, cannabis, Ultra Processed Foods and microplastics…
FASD: The human face develops between the 4th and 6th week of embryonic development. If a pregnant mother drinks alcohol in this period, then the baby is likely to be born with the obvious signs of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder i.e. a funny looking kid. If alcohol is consumed later in the pregnancy, the child will avoid the unusual features but live with the other aspects - neurodivergent behaviours and slowness to learn.
It is never safe to drink alcohol during pregnancy; nor is it safe to smoke dope.
A pregnant mother’s cannabis use harms the developing foetal brain - the active ingredient in marijuana (THC) crosses the placenta and enters the baby's bloodstream, interfering with receptors in the developing foetal brain, inhibiting normal brain growth and wiring. In childhood this increases the risk of anxiety, depression, and hyperactivity. At school, that child’s short attention span, lack of impulse control, and poor problem-solving ability will lead to low academic achievement.
And if a cannabis user breast-feeds her baby, the THC concentrates in the fat in breast milk, which exacerbated the harms further still.
Exposure to biphenol A (BPA) in the womb (microplastics). A plastic found in water bottles and packaging leaches into our foods and drinks. This mimics the structure and function of the hormone oestrogen, disrupting body processes, such as cell repair, foetal development and reproduction.
Children with autism and ADHD can’t clear BPA as well as other kids, leading to longer exposure to the toxic effects.
However, not every child with a neurodevelopmental disorder has problems flushing out BPAs; so, there are other factors at play here too. (That’s where leafy greens seem to come in, eating these during pregnancy helps). This research is ongoing, but if you are planning to get pregnant, or there is a chance you already might be, then reduce exposure to BPAs as much as humanly possible.
For example, an expectant mother should not drink water from plastic bottles! Drinking tap water eliminates a major source of BPAs getting into the foetal brain.
Ultra Processed Foods (UPFs) harm our foetus
Consuming UPFs several times a day, like: McDonalds, Dominos, KFC, noodles in a cup, crisps, sweets, soft drinks, energy drinks, vegan meat products, chicken nuggets, frozen pizza, hot dogs, mass produced breads with a long shelf life….All have a negative impact on both physical and mental wellbeing AT ALL AGES (yes, you too); but especially that of the unborn child.
Mother’s diet for foetus and child’s diet to age two - For most mothers in the west, the proportion of UPFs in their diet is too high; while simultaneously, the proportion of leafy greens is too low. Too many people have stopped preparing and cooking their own meals, so our children are not getting enough: cabbage, spinach, lettuce, asparagus, broccoli, ... Along with seafoods, whole grain foods, nuts…
Some ongoing research, that is not definitive yet, claims that Folates help reduce incidence of autism in those babies that are not able to clear BPAs from their system, as well as others. (See above.)
Remember: the primary influences that determine a child’s future success in life are set
in the first 1000 days (from conception to age two.)
My aim of publishing these three articles is to help clarify what new research is highlighting, which together with the established research of the Dunedin Study, should help educate prospective and new parents to help them avoid the practices of too many parents over the last two decades, leading to the increased incidence of neurodivergence and the decline in brain function of our children.
They need love, your face-to-face attention, and home prepared meals.
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