Okay, I have a question for you guys. How many of vampires here have been diagnosed with some form of autism? The reason I ask is because of a particular passage in this article: The benefit in this case may be a gene called BOLA2, which forms a complex with another protein (glutaredoxin 3). The combination reportedly allows cells to capture iron more efficiently and make it accessible to proteins. “This ability to help humans to acquire and use this essential element early in life might confer a significant enough benefit to outweigh the risk of having some offspring with autism,†Eichler said . When I read this paragraph, since I am both a Sanguinarian and have a form of autism (Aspergers Syndrome), it immediately made me wonder about the possibility of Sanguinarianism and Autism being related; especially considering the presence of a BOLA2 gene may explain why I could have such abnormally high levels of iron in my bloodstream with little ill effect. What do you guys think?
Brian Sandman: Never thought of that connection. Good observation Julia ! Yes to Autism …
Gordon Smith: Suscitatio Enterprises, LLCs Vampirism & Energy Work Research Study (VEWRS) found that respondents identifying as vampires reported having been diagnosed as autistic at a significantly higher rate than the rate expected for the general (non-vampiric) public (according to CDC rates at the time of the study). Heres a link (the relevant portion is on page 6): Suscitatio.com
Petro Myzon: Im definitely interested in knowing if self identified vampires are more likely to have autism compared to the general population.And I would like the answers to that first question, however, I think theres a lot of confusion in the rest of the post.From what I know, the causes of autism are extremely complex and the genes or chromosomal abnormalities that are responsible for it have not been definitively identified ( En.wikipedia.org Nature paper abstract states that Recurrent copy number variation (CNV) at chromosome 16p11.2 accounts for approximately 1% of cases of autism. 1%…That is not a lot. ( Nature.com if someone is suscribed to the journal and can send the paper my way, Id be very glad…)So, what the article you linked says is that we (homo sapiens) all have these stretches of duplicated DNA in this specfic 16p11.2 region. Duplicated sequences which may cause autism in a few cases when these copies are deleted during cell division. But what it means is that we therefore also ALL have this BOLA2 gene which may allow us to better metabolise iron. It does not, however mean that people with autism have increased iron absorbtion. On the contrary, there seem to be quite a few studies out there looking into iron deficiency in children with autism. ( Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov / Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov etc.)Iron deficiency also seems to be prevalent in sangs, but I do not have any reliable sources for that.TL:DR Theres no evidence that people with autism (whether caused by Recurrent copy number variation (CNV) at chromosome 16p11.2 or not) are better at absorbinig iron than other people.But there seem to be some evidence that Homo sapiens had better iron absoprtion than Homo nehanderthalensis but at the risk of slighty higher rate of autism.
en.wikipedia.org
Heritability of autism – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rei Tadashi Fermil: Nope. But Ive often wondered if I have some form of it (have some of the symptoms that other causes could not account for), seeing autism is a range. So this possible connection is very intriguing.
Damien Ferguson: Ive not been no.
Petro Myzon: Also, Julia Nadeau, have you been diagnosed with hemochromatosis? If your blood iron levels are consistently high, Id worry that it would end up causing issues a few years in the future, even if you do not experience any ill effects now. Whats your doctors opinion?
Julia Nadeau: No, but the last time I went to donate blood, when the tech tested my iron levels, his eyes nearly exploded out of their sockets because my drop of blood sank straight to the bottom. Given his reaction, I asked him if that was bad, he said, It could be…
Julia Nadeau: As for my doctor, she doesnt know about the Sanguinarianism and she has never performed any bloodwork on me.
Petro Myzon: It might be worth it to have some bloodwork done.Very high iron levels in blood can mean theres also a high concentration in your liver and that your liver is being damaged. Besides, you dont need to mention the sanguinarianism to your doctor unless youre drinking litres of the stuff every few days.