A new review of genetic and biochemical abnormalities has revealed a possible link between autism and Type 2 diabetes. Both of the conditions may have a common underlying mechanism -- impaired glucose tolerance and hyperinsulinemia. Hyperinsulinemia is characterized by excess levels of insulin in the bloodstream.
The new finding suggests that glucose tolerance in pregnant women may need to be addressed more seriously than it is now.
According to Science Daily:
“... [A]t least four genes associated with increased frequency in autism are known to produce proteins that play key roles in a biochemical pathway known as PI3K/Tor ... PI3K/Tor [is] the major pathway for insulin signals within cells, and insulin [can] affect synapses in a remarkably similar way to the mGluR defects associated with autism.”