A deficiency of vitamin D has now been linked to yet another chronic condition: autism. Laila Y. AL-Ayadh, head researcher of the study, says that, “There is a growing body of literature linking vitamin D to various immune-related conditions, including allergy and autoimmunity.”
To me, this link is yet another supporting argument for autism being an autoimmune disorder. In fact, having a mother with a family history of autoimmune conditions is a risk factor for having a child with autism, as the New York Times wrote a few months ago.
Moises Velasquez-Manoff wrote, “At least a subset of autism — perhaps one-third, and very likely more — looks like a type of inflammatory disease. And it begins in the womb.”