Autism caused by snacks?

Autism caused by snacks?

Referring to Hiang Marahimin's letter in The Jakarta Post of
Jan. 21, I would appreciate her expert opinion on the causes of
autism and whether there is any scientific proof that food and
food additives can cause autism.

According to medical literature, autism is caused by genetic
factors and it occurs before a child is 30 months old, while
snacks are generally eaten by children over five and by adults.

Some snacks are registered with the Drug and Food Supervisory
Board (POM), while some others, made by smaller companies, often
use ingredients that are dangerous to health, such as borax,
formaline and textile coloring chemicals.

Concerning the safety of monosodium glutamate (MSG), the Joint
FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) previously
decided that the acceptable daily intake (ADI) of MSG was 153 mg
per kilogram of body weight and the WHO recommended that babies
below 12 weeks of age should not be given MSG. In their next
meeting in Feb. 1987 in the Netherlands, JECFA canceled its
decision of ADI and FAO/WHO canceled its recommendation related
to babies below 12 weeks old, as MSG was declared safe for
consumption.

In the United States, MSG has been included in the Generally
Recognized As Safe (GRAS) list. According to an article in the
March/April 2000 edition of "Food Insight" magazine, Americans
consume a daily average of 11 grams of glutamate originating from
food and less than one gram of glutamate originating from MSG or
300 grams annually.

The consumption of MSG in Indonesia in 1999 by households,
restaurants and food industries, including snacks, was the same
as in the United States: 300 grams.

In 1996, the Japanese consumed 790 grams, Koreans 1,250 grams,
Taiwanese 1,800 grams and Singaporeans 1,600 grams per capita.
All these countries strictly adhere to the decisions made by
JECFA and WHO. Singapore even has a special regulation that
restricts the inclusion of food additives, including MSG, in
foods for babies.

Japan does not have regulations that control the consumption
of MSG. In Indonesia the standard level of MSG has to be 99
percent plus, while in Japan it can be mixed with other additive
flavors, such as nucleotides, which are usually between two to
eight percent.

SUNARTO PRAWIROSUJANTO

Jakarta