This is a relevant article on the post-Easter chocolate binge time… sorry!

In 2022, I wrote an article about a US investigation finding high levels of heavy metals in some brands of chocolate, mainly being lead and cadmium (Consumer Reports, 2022).

Cadmium and Lead are toxic "heavy metals", tending to increase in levels in the body over time due to poor detoxing of these metals from the body (CDC, 2022a). Cadmium can damage the kidneys to cause kidney disease, done damage and fragile bones, and is a known carcinogen (cancer-causing chemical).

​Lead can be stored in body tissues such as bone, to cause bone conditions, and in the brain to cause headaches, brain fog, mental health conditions, and brain damage. Lead can also damage the kidneys, and can cross the placenta to damage foetuses, or cause stillbirths and infertility. Lead is also a neurotoxin, being damaging to the nervous system, the nerves, and the brain. Nerve damage from lead can cause neuropathy, or loss of nerve function, numbness and tingling of hands and feet. Lead is also suspected of being a carcinogen (CDC, 2022b).

See the link for more details of the Consumer Reports investigation and which US brands and products are affected:
www.consumerreports.org/health/food-safety/lead-and-cadmium-in-dark-chocolate-a8480295550/

Heavy metals such as cadmium and lead, but others like mercury, aluminium, arsenic and others, cause many different symptoms and issues in several different ways:

1. These heavy metals are neurotoxic, being damaging to the nervous system and brain function. This can cause mental health symptoms, and can affect brain function and moods and behaviours, including autism disorders
2. Heavy metals cause a lot of oxidative damage to the body’s organs and cells. The brain is the most susceptible part of the body to oxidative damage, leading to a lot of symptoms
3. Heavy metals have antagonistic effects against other nutritional minerals (and some vitamins too), causing increased excretion of these nutrients, and causing nutrient deficiencies. Lead, for example, causes deficiencies of calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc, iron, manganese, selenium, sulphur, and vitamin C. These deficiencies will cause a LOT of symptoms.

Heavy metals in chocolate were not only found in the cheaper brands, but also in the more expensive and allegedly higher quality brands, including some Swiss chocolate companies such as Lindt.

After these findings in the US, a class action lawsuit was filed against the Lindt chocolate company, when heavy metals were found in their products. Lindt chocolates are typically more expensive and their marketing is based on having quality ingredients and being a better quality brand. Better quality heavy metals than other brands, perhaps?!

Apparently Lindt knew their chocolate contained heavy metals, but didn’t do anything to rectify this. Hence the lawsuit. I wonder if this could be why there was almost no Lindt easter chocolate in my local shops this year? There’s normally a ton of the distinctive Lindt bunny chocolates in various sizes and flavours, but I only saw a small number of one size and type. And they were more than double the price of previous years.
How would you know if you have any heavy metals? You can get a HTMA (Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis) test, to look for heavy metals, and other nutritional minerals, in your hair. This is a service which I offer, including the analysis of the HTMA reports, and making any recommendations if needed.

Heavy metals are a common cause of many conditions and diagnoses, including the autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, mental health conditions, headaches and migraines, brain fog, poor memory and concentration, neuropathy and nerve issues, and more. Hence testing for these heavy metals and implementing a treatment plan to detoxify these heavy metals can reduce the levels and improve health in many ways.

Stay healthy!

References:
Body and Soul. (2025) Retrieved 20th April 2025 from https://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/.../4873e3f37de56295b11637...

CDC. (2022a). Cadmium Factsheet. Retrieved 21st December 2022 from https://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/Cadmium_FactSheet.html

CDC. (2022b). Lead Factsheet. Retrieved 21st December 2022 from https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/lead/health.html

Consumer Reports. (2022). Lead and Cadmium Could Be in Your Dark Chocolate. Retrieved 21st December 2022 from www.consumerreports.org/health/food-safety/lead-and-cadmium-in-dark-chocolate-a8480295550/

​A new study published November 2025 investigated the diets and other factors of many people with ADHD in 150 countries over a 28-year period, and found some interesting factors regarding some causes or treatments which can help to reduce ADHD symptoms.

The study acknowledges that food choices and nutrients are critical factors in neurological conditions, and this study looked into the individual macronutrients of protein, carbs and fats with ADHD prevalence and prevalence (Ni, Senior, Raubenheimer, Simpson & Nanan, 2025).

Some of the findings of this study included:
1. Increasing carbohydrates (from sugar, grains, fruits etc) in the diet increases prevalence of ADHD symptoms
2. Increasing dietary fats reduces ADHD symptoms and prevalence, as healthy fats can help with improved nerve function and omega-3 fats can reduce neuro-inflammation which can drive ADHD symptoms
3. Increased plant-based protein actually increased ADHD symptoms and prevalence, probably due to soy protein which is high in phyto-oestrogens which can affect male hormone balance and is known to increase ADHD in other studies. Animal proteins contain a larger range of amino acids which are beneficial in making the neurotransmitters needed for good mental health balance.

In summary, reducing carbohydrates and increasing healthy fats can be protective of ADHD symptoms and can reduce incidences, as can increased animal food based proteins. I have seen similar improvements and reduction of ADHD symptoms in many patients or children who have improved their diets and macronutrient percentages.

Improving the quality and variety of foods can improve nutrient density, reduce nutrient deficiencies, reduce digestive system symptoms which are common in ADHD, reduce food intolerances, reduce inflammation and oxidative damage which can affect brain function, improve sleep, and other health benefits.

Your food choice or nutrition intake isn’t the only driver of ADHD symptoms and mood or emotional dysregulation issues, but it’s a good start! There are many other root causes and factors involved in this complex chronic condition, which can be different in each person, and all root causes and factors need to be identified and addressed in each person in order to get further reduction of symptoms.

If ADHD symptoms can be reduced with changes in your diet, or macronutrient levels, or even with improved levels of vitamins and minerals, then ADHD is not genetic! There can be some genetic predisposition, which this study suggests, but environmental factors such as nutrition, heavy metals, toxins and chemicals, stress and trauma, and more, are modifiable and preventable factors which can be addressed to reduce and even reverse ADHD. There’s a lot which can be done to improve the health and quality of life of people with ADHD (and their families)! This is what I can help you with!

Stay healthy!

References:

​Ni, D., Senior, A., Raubenheimer, D., Simpson, S.J. & Nanan, R. (2025). Food environment with high plant-based fat supply is associated with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) protection: a global study with more than 150 countries. Frontiers in Nutrition. 12:1658228. DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1658228

I’ve come across two published studies which are concerning, but they give some clues and science into the causes and development of Autism conditions (and likely also ADHD).

Both studies looked into the levels of vitamin B12 and folate, being two of the main B-vitamins, in both pregnant women and newborn babies, and the relationship to the development of Autism.

One study (Raghavan et. al., 2018) investigated 1257 mother-child pairs to find out the mother’s multivitamin intake during the pregnancy, and testing blood levels of vitamin B12 and folate in the mother and baby 2-3 days after birth. Approximately 86-90% of women in the study were taking multivitamin supplements. This study found that even low to moderate intake of multivitamin supplementation was associated with an increased risk of Autism development. High blood levels of folate was found to have a 250% increased risk of ASD development. Similarly, very high vitamin B12 levels was also found to be associated with a similar level of ASD development. The highest risk of development of Autism conditions were in mothers who had elevated levels of folate AND vitamin B12.

A second study (Raghavan et. al., 2020) confirmed the previous study’s findings that mothers with high folate levels had a 200% risk of development of Autism and/or ADHD in their babies, but when combined with similarly high vitamin B12 levels, the risk of Autism/ADHD development jumped dramatically to 1,760% compared to mothers with optimal folate and B12 levels. This was confirmed when the baby’s cord blood were analysed, showing when there were high unmetabolised folic acid levels, there was a 200% increase of Autism risk, or 1000% increase in African-American babies. The authors ruled out that the high folate levels were not from natural folate from plant foods, but only from folic acid in supplements and/or fortified or processed foods.

How is this possible, when vitamin B12 and especially folate (as folic acid) are highly recommended and even prescribed by doctors to prevent neural tube defects in babies?

There are a number of reasons for these findings. The main issue is that while vitamin B12 and folate are absolutely essential vitamins for DNA replication, and the growth and development of the foetus and babies, there’s a huge difference between these vitamins in foods vs. in supplements. And some folic acid products being prescribed by doctors contain 10-20 times the normal dose of folate! This can be far too much and exceeds the body’s ability to metabolise the folate and B12, to cause very high and toxic levels of folic acid in the mother’s body (and likely in the foetus too).

Pregnant women, or those trying to conceive, are usually recommended to take a high dose folic acid supplement, either on its own or in a pregnancy multivitamin. But folic acid is not folate!

Folic acid is a completely different and synthetic form of folate, which isn’t found in foods. It’s found in fortified wheat flour by law, and hence in breads and bakery products, processed foods, pasta, and more foods, and often in cheap over the counter multivitamin supplements. Folic acid isn’t metabolised in the same way in your body as natural folate from foods, and is a much slower process. Regular or high doses of folic acid can then build up in the mother and foetus/baby to high levels. This can cause an issue called “Unmetabolised Folic Acid Syndrome”, which can cause a number of symptoms including mental health issues.

Other studies have found that folic acid can actually BLOCK the folate receptors on cell walls, to further slow down the metabolism of natural folate from foods. But because metabolism of folic acid is slower and further exacerbated by folic acid blocking the use of natural folate, the high levels of folate when blood is tested, is actually a functional deficiency of folate! Having a deficiency of folate, even with supplementing and especially from folic acid, can then CAUSE neural tube defects and Autism conditions.

If the mother or baby has any of the MTHFR genetic variants, this can reduce the metabolism of folate even more, to cause higher levels of unmetabolized folic acid which can further contribute to a functional deficiency of folate (and B12) and increase the development of Autism and ADHD conditions.
Similarly to folic acid, there are poorly bioavailable synthetic forms of vitamin B12, especially of cyanocobalamin, which as its name suggests is a cyanide form of vitamin B12, where cyanide is a byproduct of the body’s metabolism of this form of B12. Again it’s a slower metabolic process than natural B12 from animal based foods. Cyanocobalamin is used in cheap retail multivitamin supplements, and should be avoided as should folic acid.

Having functional deficiencies of folate and/or vitamin B12 causes reduced methylation functions in the body, which can increase levels of homocysteine, a toxic metabolic byproduct, which can cause high levels of oxidative damage in the body. The brain and nerves are the most sensitive parts of the body to oxidative damage, which can affect moods, behaviours and mental health. Hence this is another mechanism for folate and B12 deficiencies contributing to the development of ASD conditions.

What’s the solution then?

There are a number of things which can be done to reduce the risks of Autism/ASD/ADHD conditions, but the first is the avoid intake of folic acid in supplements, fortified and processed foods, and avoid the cyanocobalamin form of vitamin B12 too. There are other better and safer forms of these B-vitamins, if supplementation is needed or if dietary intake is inadequate or if the digestive system needs support.
As per other articles I’ve written on Autism, ASD conditions and ADHD, having a folate and/or vitamin B12 deficiency isn’t the only cause or factor in the development of these conditions. But these deficiencies ARE a very common cause in ASD conditions, in my clinical experience. It would be very rare for a child, teen or adult with Autism or ASD conditions or ADHD to not be deficient in folate and/or vitamin B12 in their diet, or blood test results showing them as not being deficient in these important B-vitamins, or having very high levels which suggests that their use is being blocked to cause the same symptoms as a deficiency.

If someone has Autism or ADHD, the information and findings from these studies suggests that the incidences of Autism conditions could be reduced and prevented with better forms of these essential B-vitamins, especially in pre-conception or during, or even that symptoms in those with Autism/ADHD conditions could be reduced to improve their mental health and quality of life!

These studies show the importance of getting tested for B-vitamin status prior to trying to conceive and get pregnant, as well as during the pregnancy, and getting good nutritional advice from experts (ie, NOT from doctors), and using better forms of the B-vitamins or pregnancy supplements during these times.
Stay healthy!

References:

Raghavan, R., Riley, A. W., Volk, H., Caruso, D., Hironaka, L., Sices, L., Hong, X., Wang, G., Ji, Y., Brucato, M., Wahl, A., Stivers, T., Pearson, C., Zuckerman, B., Stuart, E. A., Landa, R., Fallin, M. D., & Wang, X. (2018). Maternal Multivitamin Intake, Plasma Folate and Vitamin B12 Levels and Autism Spectrum Disorder Risk in Offspring. Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology, 32(1), 100–111. DOI: 10.1111/ppe.12414

​Raghavan, R., Selhub, J., Paul, L., Ji, Y., Wang, G., Hong, X., Zuckerman, B., Fallin, M. D., & Wang, X. (2020). A prospective birth cohort study on cord blood folate subtypes and risk of autism spectrum disorder. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 112(5), 1304–1317. DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqaa208