Autism and Sulfur Allergy – part 2

Sulfite sensitivity does not constitute an automatic allergy to sulfa drugs and vice versa. Many asthmatics who react adversely to sulfites can often have some in small amounts and suffer no ill-effects. Known sensitivity reactions to sulfite is not a true allergy like a sulfa drug allergy, and so allergy testing for sulfites in unreliable.

Sulfates are chemical compounds with sulfur surrounded by oxygen atoms. It is a derivative of sulfuric acid and can complex with a number of minerals to form stable compounds such as magnesium sulfate found in Epsom salt. Some individuals can have sulfate sensitivity, but it is debatable whether this is a true immune reaction to the sulfate or an immune reaction to chemical compounds attached to sulfate. More commonly a sulfate sensitivity is a biochemical reaction to other sources, and has nothing to do with a true allergy. So what about sulfur supplement sensitivity?

Sulfur sensitivity occurs when too much homocysteine is flushed through the trans-sulfuration pathway creating an abundance of sulfur compounds. This is a problem if an enzyme called CBS is up-regulated creating an increased production of sulfur byproducts. Byproducts of sulfur can contribute to an overproduction of ammonia. Ammonia in some individuals with autism can lead to irritability, hand-flapping, self-stimulatory behavior, language deficits and other chemical imbalances. Additional chemical systems in the body can become stressed as well leading to a further difficulty in reducing ammonia. Genetic mutations in CBS and MTHFR complexes make this problem potentially worst.

Finally, a sulfite oxidase enzyme abbreviated SUOX, if it exists in a deficiency state will alter sulfate regulation which effects glutathione levels, as well as sulfates for other proteins that support protein structure in the body. Glutathione is a critical antioxidant that protects our cells from toxins and supports cellular detoxification. There is a genetic disorder that leads to severe brain damage and death with a SUOX enzyme deficiency, but it is likely that sub-clinical stressors in this enzyme can adversely affect some individuals on the autism-spectrum, while not causing a specific disease.

The likely scenario is if individuals on the autism-spectrum are having trouble with sulfur containing supplements such as taurine, Epsom salt, MSM, cysteine, methionine, etc. that a genetic mutation pattern has manifest in the CBS and MTHFR genes, and has nothing to do with a sulfur allergy - which we now know is a misnomer.