SIDS, serotonin and DIET

http://www.irishhealth.com/?level=4&id=10491

Brain abnormalities linked to SIDS

[Posted: Wed 01/11/2006]

By Deborah Condon

Abnormalities in the brainstem - the part of the brain that regulates
breathing, blood pressure, body heat and arousal - may play a key role
in cot death, new research indicates.

Cot death, also known as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) refers to
the sudden and unexpected death of an infant or young child. The cause
of death cannot be found even with a thorough post mortem examination.
According to the Irish Sudden Infant Death Association, a child dies as
a result of cot death every week in Ireland.


While a number of risk factors have been identified, including putting
babies to sleep on their stomachs (babies should be put to sleep lying
on their backs) and smoking during pregnancy and around babies, until
now, there has been little understanding of SID's biological basis.

However according to researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and
Harvard Medical School, new data obtained from autopsies provides the
strongest evidence yet that cot death is not a 'mystery' disease, but
has a concrete biological basis.

They examined brain autopsy specimens from 31 infants who had died as a
result of cot death and 10 who had died from other causes. While
examining the lowest part of the brainstem, they found abnormalities in
nerve cells that make and use serotonin, which is one of over 100
chemicals in the brain that transmit messages from one cell to another.

The brainstem serotonin system is thought to help coordinate breathing,
blood pressure, sensitivity to carbon dioxide and temperature during
waking and sleeping. If a baby sleeps face down or has their face
covered by bedding, they are thought to re-breathe exhaled carbon
dioxide, therefore they are breathing in less oxygen.

Normally, this rise in carbon dioxide activates nerve cells in the
brainstem, which in turn stimulate respiratory and arousal centres in
the brain so that the baby does not asphyxiate.

"A normal baby will wake up, turn his or her head and start breathing
faster when carbon dioxide levels rise", explained one of the lead
researchers, Dr Hannah Kinney.

However in babies who die from SIDS, she said, defects in the serotonin
system may impair these reflexes.

"We provide strong evidence that SIDS is a biological problem and that
the brainstem serotonin system is a good place to focus continued
research efforts", added fellow lead researcher, Dr David Paterson.

The researchers believe that the abnormalities they observed begin
during early foetal development and maternal behaviours like smoking
and drinking alcohol during pregnancy, may adversely affect development
of the brainstem serotonin system during this time.

However more research is needed to explain what causes the
abnormalities and how they can be prevented.

The researchers are hoping to eventually develop a diagnostic test to
identify children at risk of cot death. They also envision a drug or
other type of treatment to protect infants who have abnormalities in
their brainstem serotonin system.

Details of these findings are published in the Journal of the American
Medical Association.

********

Hey. Serotonin is a chemical that the body makes from the chemicals it
gets from food. Chemical imbalances are a direct result of diet and
nutrient deficiencies.

Here we have infants with serotonin imbalances so severe that they die
from it.

What do we usually feed children when not breastfeeding? Nutrient
deficient soy based formulas. Nutrient deficient pablum, which is just
baby corn flakes, grains, refined grains, nutrient deficient refined
grains.

I think it is time that we get rid of these manufactured infant foods
and go back to real food.

TC

.