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