Could This Be The Cure For Autism?

Maybe I should have posted this on Columbus day because this might be as big a find as that little thing called 'the shape of the world'.

A chemical derived from broccoli sprout could help treat symptoms of autism, according to a new study from Johns Hopkins and Harvard hospitals.

Autism spectrum disorders, which affect one in 68 children in the United States has no cure or medical treatment.

The study is an "intriguing" first step that could lead to a better life for those living with autism.

Talalay and his team treated 40 autistic boys and men with autism over 18 weeks. Twenty-six of them took pills with sulforaphane, a broccoli sprout extract, and the rest received a placebo.

Those who took the placebo did not show any improvement, while the patients who took sulforaphane improved.

Almost half of the patients treated with sulforaphane had "much improved" or "very much improved" social interaction and verbal communication, and more than half exhibited less aberrant behavior.

When the patients stopped taking the extract, they returned to baseline levels for these symptoms within four weeks.

"If you tell people that you've treated autism with broccoli, they would say that that is a very far-fetched idea," said study author Dr. Paul Talalay, a professor of pharmacology and molecular sciences at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Now, parents does this mean your force feed your child with autism broccoli?

Not so fast, Autism experts not involved with the research said the findings are encouraging, but cautioned that there are still many unanswered questions.

The findings appear in the October issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.