DEAR READERS: A mother's diet during pregnancy can affect various aspect of the baby's development. One 2020 review looked for possible connections between nutrients and the development of autism. From the article's abstract:

"Maternal diet during pregnancy is important for child neurodevelopment. We reviewed 36 studies examining maternal diet and (autism) and found that prenatal vitamin/multivitamin use and adequate intake of folic acid and vitamin D were each associated with lower likelihood of having a child with (autism). Future studies on these and other dietary factors are needed to better understand the role of maternal diet." (Full study: "Maternal Dietary Factors and the Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Systematic Review of Existing Evidence" by Caichen Zhong et al., published in Autism Research in 2020.)

Another study, this one published in 2018, "provided preliminary evidence that maternal unbalanced dietary patterns may be a risk factor for (autism), and supplementation of calcium during pregnancy preparation may be inversely associated with (autism) in offspring." (Full study: "Maternal dietary patterns, supplement intake and autism spectrum disorders: A preliminary case-control study" by Ya-Min Li et al., published in Medicine/Baltimore in 2018.)

A more recent study states: "Prenatal diet may be causally related to autism; however, findings are inconsistent, with a limited body of research based on small sample sizes and retrospective study designs." (Full study: "Healthy prenatal dietary pattern and offspring autism" by Catherine Friel et al., published in JAMA Network Open in 2024.)

More research is needed, but it seems clear that the less processed food we consume, and the more organically certified ingredients we choose, the better. Essential nutrients are lost in some forms of processing, and inflammatory -- potentially carcinogenic -- compounds can be created. These processing byproducts, in combination with pesticide residues, also have documented adverse health consequences.

Pesticide contamination and essential mineral deficiencies can be caused by the herbicide glyphosate. Bayer/Monsanto’s glyphosate blocks plants’ uptake of various minerals -- primarily cationic nutrients like calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, lithium and zinc -- by binding to them and forming stable, insoluble complexes. It also affects other minerals like copper, phosphorus and boron.

This herbicide is used on virtually all commodity crops used by the processed food and beverage industries. It has contributed to the demise of monarch butterflies and entire populations of insects and birds; it is a recognized carcinogen and endocrine disruptor.

Indiana University School of Medicine researchers found glyphosate in 99% of the pregnant women they observed in the Midwest. In their study, higher glyphosate levels were associated with lower birth weight and may also lead to higher neonatal intensive care unit admission risk. (Full study: "Glyphosate exposure in early pregnancy and reduced fetal growth: A prospective observational study of high-risk pregnancies" by Roy Gerona et al., published in Environmental Health in 2022.)

In addition to genetic and epigenetic considerations in the etiology of autism, the broader subject of dietary and nutrient deficiency needs to be more prevalent on the public health agenda. For one of many studies documenting the health benefits of vegetarianism -- which also saves medical costs -- see "Vegetarian diets in the Adventist Health Study 2: a review of initial published findings" by Michael Orlich and Gary Fraser, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2014.

As I have underscored repeatedly in this column, adopting a balanced, plant-based diet, fortified as needed with minerals, vitamins and prebiotics, is good for our overall health. It will also help reduce our collective contribution to climate change. The productions of beef, dairy, pork and poultry are major climate concerns and pose many animal welfare issues. These industries exacerbate the loss of biodiversity, groundwater pollution and public health risks from antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)

DEAR READERS: While many people are facing food shortages under our current dystopian politics and economics, the critical issue of climate change cannot be denied. We all have agency to help alleviate this environmental crisis.

A vast tonnage of food and beverage waste from manufacturers, grocery stores and homeowners is an issue many municipalities are beginning to address. In-home kitchen sink food-grinders should be prohibited, since the discharge is a burden on water treatment plants. Food waste should not go to landfills, either, because it often emits the greenhouse gas methane into the atmosphere, exacerbating climate change.

Large volumes of food and beverage waste can be retained in biogas-producing anaerobic digesters or fermentation tanks, and the methane generated can be used as an energy source. Biogas is considered a renewable energy source because it is produced from organic matter such as agricultural waste, municipal solid waste, sewage and food waste, which are continuously generated by natural processes. (See group.met.com/en/mind-the-fyouture/mindthefyouture/biogas.)

Dried food-waste residue, often high in phosphates, may be recycled into fertilizer if tested free of heavy metals and other harmful chemicals. This is an issue with sewage slurry, which is prohibited under organic farming standards in the U.S.

Sewage, including excrement and food waste, contains a trove of valuable nutrients including ammonia, a key ingredient of fertilizer. Now, researchers report a way to use sunlight to recover ammonia from wastewater. The cheap, efficient process is a practical way to reuse the nutrient on farms and keep it from reaching the environment, where it can cause harm.

PET FOOD PANTRIES STRUGGLE TO COPE WITH DEMAND

Pet food pantries are seeing an increase in demand as families in need across the U.S. experience delays and disruptions in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments. SNAP funds cannot be used to buy pet food, but can help families afford to keep their pets.

Per an Associated Press story: “We do know a lot of people will feed their pets before themselves,” says Kim Buckman with Feeding Missouri, a coalition of food banks in the state. “In some cases, that is their emotional support animal.” (See apnews.com/article/pets-food-snap-government-shutdown-65d27162199dfe7d8e41f9b8039bb356.)

Economic strain is a leading reason pets are surrendered to shelters, and shelters are preparing for another influx of animals.

PESTICIDES PUSHING MONARCH CLOSER TO EXTINCTION

A study entitled "Pyrethroid insecticides implicated in mass mortality of monarch butterflies at an overwintering site in California," by Staci Cibotti et al., was published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry in 2025.

From the study's summary: “Since the 1980s, monarch butterfly populations across North America have declined by 80% to 95%. Although several studies have implicated pesticides as a contributing factor to their population declines, our understanding of monarch exposure levels in nature remains limited. In January 2024, a mass mortality event near an overwintering site in Pacific Grove, California, provided an opportunity to analyze dead overwintering monarch butterflies for pesticide residues. ... On average, each monarch butterfly contained seven pesticides, excluding transformation products if the parent compound was also detected. Notably, three pyrethroid insecticides -- bifenthrin, cypermethrin, and permethrin -- were consistently detected at or near each chemical’s lethal dose.”

These beautiful butterflies are a warning of the health hazards of pesticides to us, as well, but the powerful agribusiness lobbyists have been blocking prohibitions for decades. Pesticides are linked to a variety of diseases, including neurological conditions like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, various cancers, respiratory problems such as asthma, and metabolic disorders like diabetes. They are also associated with reproductive issues, birth defects and kidney and cardiovascular diseases. For details, see epa.gov/pesticide-science-and-assessing-pesticide-risks/human-health-issues-related-pesticides, as well as panna.org.

The costs of these health issues outweigh the benefits of using pesticides, but amount to significant profits for the medical-pharmaceutical industrial complex. Multiple kinds of harm following prenatal exposure of children to insecticides, fungicides and herbicides call for more rigorous transitions to organic production and the prohibition of toxic pesticides in agriculture.

The Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen” list explains which foods are most heavily sprayed with pesticides -- notably apples, strawberries, grapes and kale. If you can’t get USDA Organically certified foods, peel fruits and wash vegetables thoroughly in a baking soda solution to remove surface residues. However, because neonicotinoids are often applied systemically, meaning they are absorbed by the plant and present throughout its tissues, they are very difficult, if not impossible, to remove completely.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)

DEAR READERS: My recent column, "Nihilistic Violent Extremism," calling for the removal of online content about harming animals, described the tip of an iceberg of human depravity. In 2023, Antonio F. Carvalho et al. wrote up a detailed assessment of this issue, entitled "Profiting From Cruelty: Digital Content Creators Abuse Animals Worldwide To Incur Profit."

From the study's summary: “With the increasing interest of people in profiting from cruelty on the Internet and the failure of platforms such as YouTube in removing content related to this practice, to recognize who is funding animal suffering is imperative to combat this serious problem for sustainability, conservation and animal welfare. Here, we investigate how content creators exploit animals to incur profit. ... Removals generated by YouTube correlated with cruelty Category 6 (Staged rescues), proving that the diligence of the platform in taking content down is paramount for more or less monetization. We propose advertiser-imposed legal standards on social networks to compel content removal, and that audiences report crimes to police, aiming (for) legal penalization of animal cruelty content creators.”

See the full study at doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110321.

According to the nonprofit World Animal Protection, Facebook hosts the most animal cruelty content. From a writeup on the group's website:

"In 2024, the public submitted over 80,000 links showing suspected animal abuse. Of these, 87.5% were found on Facebook. Monkeys, cats and dogs feature heavily in the disturbing content. Facebook and Instagram together were linked to more than 71,000 reports submitted by the public. The most common themes were 'monkey hatred' on Facebook (33.4%) and 'wild animals as pets' on Instagram (33.8%). ...

"The researchers identified 53 species in the flagged videos, representing nearly 1,000 individual animals on Facebook alone. Of these, at least 108 belong to species classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, including critically endangered orangutans and gorillas, endangered chimpanzees and long-tailed macaques, and vulnerable species such as cheetahs and lions. Primates, especially macaques, appear most frequently, followed by dogs and cats."

For details, go to worldanimalprotection.org/latest/news/facebook-leads-in-hosting-animal-cruelty-content.

This information is disturbing, but it is a call for us all to be vigilant and to support animal protection organizations. The 2010 law signed by President Barack Obama that banned videos showing animals being subjected to torture was expanded in 2019. Now, intentional acts of cruelty shown in the videos are also felony offenses. The penalty for committing this crime is a federal prison term of up to seven years and/or a fine. Clearly, this law is in need of more enforcement and greater vigilance by operators of social media platforms.

DEAR DR. FOX: My husband and I have adopted a boxer from a puppy mill. She was kept there as a breeder, but they said she had no pups, so she was put up for sale.

She is housebroken and settling in well, but we are concerned about her breathing. When she sleeps on the bed with us or takes a nap between us on the sofa, she snores a lot, and sometimes seems to stop breathing. It's like she is gagging. Should we see the vet about this? -- G.W.M., Winston-Salem, North Carolina

DEAR G.W.M.: What you are describing is sleep apnea, which can have serious health consequences in humans and dogs alike. It is especially common in dogs with "pushed-in" faces/muzzles. This flat-face condition is called brachycephaly, and it can be extremely pronounced in pugs, bulldogs (American, English and French) and boxers.

In such instances, surgical intervention is needed to improve the quality of life, health and exercise tolerance of these afflicted dogs -- all a consequence of thoughtless selective breeding.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)