Low cholesterol associated with Fragile X syndrome

This study was published in the American Journal of Medical Genetics. Part A 2015 Feb;167A(2):379-84

 

Study title and authors:

Cholesterol levels in fragile X syndrome.

Berry-Kravis E, Levin R, Shah H, Mathur S, Darnell JC, Ouyang B.

Departments of Pediatrics, Rush University Medical Center, USA; Departments of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, USA; Departments of Biochemistry, Rush University Medical Center, USA.

 

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25424470

Dr Elizabeth Berry-Kravis notes that Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is associated with intellectual disability and behavioural dysfunction, including anxiety, ADHD symptoms, and autistic features.

Dr Berry-Kravis found that during the course of follow up of patients with FXS she noted that many patients had low cholesterol levels and low levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.

She then initiated a systematic review of all cholesterol values present in charts from over 500 patients with FXS and revealed that total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and HDL cholesterol were all significantly reduced in males with FXS compared with normal levels.

Dr Berry-Kravis findings reveal that low cholesterol levels are associated with Fragile X syndrome.

Bipolar mixed episodes are associated with abnormally low cholesterol

This paper was published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 2007 Oct;68(10):e25

Study title and authors:

Bipolar mixed episodes: characteristics and comorbidities.

Goldberg JF, McElroy SL.
Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17960958

Bipolar mixed episodes is a mental health condition where a person has symptoms of depression and mania at the same time.

Dr Joseph Goldberg describes how bipolar mixed episodes are associated with greater total lifetime costs, increased suicide risk, and increased substance misuse than pure manic episodes.

Dr Goldberg found that bipolar mixed episodes were associated with abnormally low cholesterol.

Dietary tryptophan may help in the treatment of ADHD

This paper was published in Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica Volume 99, Issue 4, pages 300–304, April 1999

Study title and authors:
Circulatory levels of catecholamines, serotonin and lipids in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

B. Spivak1, Y. Vered, R. Yoran-Hegesh, E. Averbuch, R. Mester, E. Graf, A. Weizman

Research Unit, Ness Ziona Mental Health Center, Nes Ziona, Israel

This study can be accessed at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-0447.1999.tb07229.x/abstract

Spivak notes that ADHD is frequently complicated by aggressive impulsive behaviour, which is suggested to be related to low serum cholesterol levels.

The study, of boys with ADHD, found that lower levels of blood serotonin, were associated  with higer degrees of hyperactivity, impulsiveness, lack of concentration, and aggressiveness in boys.

Serotonin is manufactured in the body using the amino acid tryptophan. Excellent dietary sources of tryptophan include: turkey, chicken, beef,  fish, milk, eggs and cheese.