Table 2.

Commonalities between Autism and Vitamin D deficiency.

Autism	Vitamin D
Serotonin, which promotes social behavior and facilitates accurate assessment of emotional social cues, is reduced in autistic brains. Low Vitamin D levels are also commonly found in autism.	1,25(OH)2D activates the transcription of tryptophan hydroxylase-2, an enzyme that converts tryptophan to serotonin in the brain [58].
Increased levels of inflammatory cytokines are found in autism-- IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, etc [59]	Inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-10, CRP, etc) are elevated in Vitamin D deficiency [60].
Low glutathione levels found in autism—difficulty excreting heavy metals [61].	Vitamin D increases glutathione in the brain—suggesting a role for the hormone in brain detoxification pathways [62].
Depakote has been associated with autism in children of mothers taking this during pregnancy [63].	Depakote lowers Vitamin D levels [64].
Seizures are common in children with autism [65].	Normalization of serum vitamin 25(OH)D level has an anticonvulsant effect [66].
Autism occurs more frequently in male > females.	Estrogen protects the developing female brain from Vitamin D deficiency (oxidative stress). Testosterone does not [67].