by Nicky Clark is a nutritional therapist in Australia who has provided personalized nutritional advice to parents of children with Down syndrome.
She has given talks about nutrition for Down syndrome, for example when the World Down Syndrome Congress came to Brisbane, and on the Institute for Optimum Nutrition’s Nutrition Talks series.
Clark also has a son with Down syndrome, called Michael. She told News Week that she receives “requests from around the world for information and insights” about nutrition for people with the condition – and shared some of that information with News Week.
Down syndrome, also known as Trisomy 21, is a condition where people are born, by chance, with an extra chromosome and as a result have some form of learning disability.
“There really isn’t a lot of research on diet and Down syndrome,” Clark said News Week. “But if you start connecting the dots, you can start to come up with ideas that are really worth pursuing for people with Down syndrome.”
Much of the advice she gives parents, Clark said, was just standard nutrition education that would apply to any child—but then, there was some specific focus for Down syndrome. For example, picky eating is common.
“It’s just the problems everyone has when the kids are fussy eaters,” she said. “Maybe that’s worse with Down syndrome, because parents are always afraid that their child is going to suffocate or that they can’t breastfeed.
“It’s an extra layer of worry, and I think that means parents are even more concerned with the child’s needs, so it creates a child who is more of a picky eater.
“But then you have all the sensory things that go with the disability. So, maybe they don’t like the taste of fruit, or all their foods have to be bland.”
Nutritional advice usually includes providing picky foods for the child to eat, finding ways to increase their nutritional content and gradually encouraging them to eat slightly different things.
For example, if a child eats chicken nuggets and fries, parents could work towards introducing breaded chicken and roast potatoes, with some carrot sticks on the side.
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Clark said people with Down syndrome have low muscle tone, where relaxed muscles are more flexible than those without the condition, and this can make chewing more difficult.
“Chewing can be a problem,” she said. “Food is not chewed very well, and they often chew very quickly. This leads to digestive problems, and there seems to be a high prevalence of digestive problems. [among people with Down syndrome]—but, in saying this, there is very little research.”
So, just as any child may stuff food into their mouth, be impatient to leave the table and play, children with Down syndrome may not swallow their food properly and may develop digestive problems. This can lead to abdominal pains, burping, diarrhea and constipation.
The solution is to encourage slower and more mindful eating at sit-down meal times, with a focus on chewing food properly before swallowing.
Another area that can affect everyone, but may affect people with Down syndrome more, is oxidative stress, Clark said.
“When I jumped into the research and tried to make something of it, what I found was not much, but I found things about oxidative stress,” she said.
“People with Down syndrome can look quite old very early, and they get Alzheimer’s around the age of 40. That’s because they seem to develop oxidative stress more quickly.”
Oxidative stress is a normal process that occurs in the body when by-products of chemical reactions called free radicals damage cells – often called “internal wear and tear” – which is linked to aging and chronic diseases such as heart disease , dementia and obesity. .
But foods containing antioxidants are believed to neutralize free radicals and reduce oxidative stress in the body.
“Oxidative stress is a real thing,” Clark said, adding that one of her main messages was that eating foods rich in antioxidants can help.
Antioxidants are found in many plant foods, especially fruits and vegetables such as berries, citrus fruits and leafy greens, as well as nuts and seeds, oily fish, extra virgin olive oil, dark chocolate and tea.
Clark said she recommended eating plenty of brightly colored fruits and vegetables, and limiting sugar intake, because too much sugar can cause additional oxidative stress — as well as increasing the risk of Alzheimer’s, which she said is a “problem it’s true” for people with Down syndrome.
“It’s not just sugar, it’s also a carbohydrate,” Clark said. Refined carbohydrates, such as white rice, white bread, pasta, mashed potatoes, and fruit juice, are converted to glucose – sugar – in the body, so they can have the same nutritional effect.
Reducing the intake of high-sugar foods and refined carbohydrates, Clark said, was a key piece of advice she gave to parents of children with Down syndrome, to reduce oxidative stress, the risk of Alzheimer’s, and the risk of insulin resistance and weight. gain – which is also higher in people with Down syndrome.
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“Another thing is that methylation doesn’t seem to be OK in people with Down syndrome,” Clark said.
Methylation is one of the ways the body interacts with, reads and interprets DNA. When methylation goes wrong, it can change the way a gene is expressed, which can increase the risk of certain diseases.
“There is research that shows that, in newborns, methylation is slightly off,” said Clark. “And there are pockets of research around methylation and B vitamins. So, another one of my recommendations, in terms of diet, is adding B vitamins.”
B vitamins are a group of nutrients found in meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, as well as some legumes, seeds and leafy greens.
Clark said there are supplements made for people with Down syndrome that target methylation and oxidative stress, but she doesn’t necessarily recommend them.
“They’re very high doses of B vitamins and antioxidants, like selenium, so they fit those two patterns and make sense, but they’re really high doses, and I’m really concerned that they’re pushing the All these parents are not. ‘He didn’t necessarily know better,’ said Clark.
“High doses of supplements are dangerous for anyone without an actual reason, who are educated. It’s not a smart way to apply supplements.
“When I look at my Michael, he’s the most physically fit person. Why would I supplement a beautiful, perfect child? It doesn’t make sense.”
In terms of specific nutrients, Clark would also recommend focusing on zinc, a mineral found in meat, shellfish, dairy, nuts and seeds.
“People with Down syndrome tend to suffer from immune problems and thyroid problems,” she said, suggesting that zinc may help with both. “And zinc supports antioxidant systems.”
Finally, she emphasized the importance of proper nutrition for people with Down syndrome.
“I think that’s the most important thing,” she said. “For people with Down syndrome, there’s swimming therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, physio, feeding therapy – all these therapies where you have to consciously think about doing them, but it’s just food.
“It’s there, something you have to do three times a day, with consequences for your physical and mental health, so you might as well do it right.
“And when you talk to parents who are invested in this stuff and are already doing everything that would be a nurturer, their kids are very healthy, very well and really independent, and you’d think, it must be there is something there.
“Anecdotally, you hear families saying, we changed the diet, we added this, and we did this, and they’re better now—and you think, food is healing. It’s so powerful.”
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