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Autism & Mitochondrial Health
In this episode of Uncommon Living, Richard Frye, MD/PhD sets the record straight on how important it is to avoid synthetic folic acid in favor of the real folate (e.g. leucovorin).
The diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are all based on observations of behaviors, such as 1) deficits in social communication, 2) interaction, repetitive and stereotypical patterns of behavior, interests, and activities, including hypersensitivity/hyperreactivity to certain sensory inputs. However, children exhibiting these behaviors also show consistent physiological patterns that are not included in the diagnostic criteria (Rossignol & Frye 2025). These can be classified into two broad categories: 1) indications of abnormal metabolic activity and development in the brain (Batshaw & Towbin 2001), and 2) blood markers of mitochondrial dysfunction (Stavridou et al. 2021).
In Episode 4 of the Uncommon Living podcast, Seager interviews Richard E Frye, MD/PhD, a child neurologist at the Rossignol Medical Center in Phoenix Arizona and the world's leading expert on the mitochondrial theory of the origins of autism.
The presence of consistent metabolic markers associated with autism suggests that therapies targeting metabolism might be effective for treating autism. In this regard, Richard E Frye, MD/PhD and other clinicians have experienced success -- even reversing ASD diagnoses in children using mitochondrial therapies (Hill et al. 2025, D'Adamo et al. 2024, Taylor et al. 2026).What most people still fail to recognize is that mitochondria steer neurological development. That is, brain development is both powered by mitochondria, and guided by the mitochondria. Thus, anything that interferes with mitochondrial function during late-stage pregnancy, early infancy, and young childhood -- when the brain is most rapidly growing -- will also interfere with the developmental trajectory in the brain.
Nicole Rincon, PA is the mother of triplets -- two of whom received ASD diagnoses. By using therapies that target metabolism, Rincon reversed autism in one of her sons and has witnessed such improvement in her second ASD son that he barely qualifies for his ASD diagnosis.
Every leading theory on the origins of autism, from genetics, to Tylenol, to vaccines, to mold, to microplastics, to non-native electromagnetic frequencies (nnEMF) can be shown to act thru the mitochondria. For example, gastrointestinal disturbances and complaints are very common among children with ASD, and in some cases fecal transplants will correct gut dysbiosis and alleviate symptoms of ASD (Krajmalnik-Brown R, et al. 2015). Because the gut microbiome controls the profile of free fatty acids in the bloodstream that either promote or impair mitochondrial function, it becomes clear that the mechanism by which the gut modifies ASD is through the mitochondria.
The reason that no single cause of autism can be identified is because every mitochondrial toxin and metabolic disruption has the potential to further exacerbate existing mitochondrial impairment. Total Load Theory suggests that mitochondria can compensate for a number of accumulating injuries until some threshold is reached that results in neurological regression. Like water overtopping a levee, every raindrop raises the elevation of the river, but no one notices until finally the water gets so high that the flood defenses are overwhelmed.
Beth Lambert is Executive Director of Documenting Hope, a science communication non-profit organization that has published two peer-reviewed case studies on autism reversal using therapies that target metabolism.
Mitochondrial therapies can be broadly categorized in three ways: 1) support, 2) stimulation, and 3) protection. For example, dietary supplement like magnesium and folate therapy can support mitochondrial function by ensuring they have the micronutrients necessary for carrying out enzymatic respiratory functions. Red light therapy stimulates mitochondria by energizing the cytochrome-C oxidase (CCO) enzyme to produce more ATP. Lastly, elimination of nnEMF and blocking blue light at night protect the mitochondria by encouraging their production of melatonin for scavenging the reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are the byproduct of mitochondrial respiration.
Ice baths may make a unique contribution to a therapeutic program for supporting mitochondrial health by stimulating mitobiogenesis. It is now well-established a regular program of cold water immersion will recruit new brown fat cells to the body for non-shivering thermogenesis. Each brown fat cell contains thousands of mitochondria.
Recently, new research has revealed that the new, healthy mitochondria in these brown fat cells are exported to the bloodstream so that they can travel throughout the body to by imported by other cells to rescue their mitochondrial function (Borcherding & Brestoff 2023). This remarkable discovery may help explain how mitochondrial therapies have been so successful for treating a myriad of neurological disorders, including epilepsy, major depression, and schizophrenia.
Columbia University Professor Martin Picard, PhD describes the new research that discovered mitochodria move throughout the body.
While there are no clinical trials on cold plunge therapy and autism, warm water hydrotherapy has been proven effective for reducing severity of symptoms in children diagnosed with ASD (Kalra et al. 2025), and several anecdotes of autistic children who enjoy and have benefited from cold water swimming have been reported to Arizona State University Professor (and Morozko CEO) Thomas Seager. This suggests the mitochondrial benefits of cold plunge might have positive effects for treating autism in some children who are already enjoying bathing and swimming at warmer temperatures.
In Episode 262 of the Autism Parenting Secrets podcast, Professor Seager explains how cold exposure directly improves mitochondrial health, and why that matters more than you think—especially for parents of children with autism. This episode dives into how the mitochondria are affected by environment, stress, and lifestyle, as well as how you can rebuild them.
References
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Batshaw ML, Towbin KE. The origins of autism. Pediatric Research. 2001;50(1):1-.
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Borcherding N, Brestoff JR. The power and potential of mitochondria transfer. Nature. 2023 Nov 9;623(7986):283-91.
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D’Adamo CR, Nelson JL, Miller SN, Rickert Hong M, Lambert E, Tallman Ruhm H. Reversal of autism symptoms among dizygotic twins through a personalized lifestyle and environmental modification approach: a case report and review of the literature. Journal of Personalized Medicine. 2024 Jun;14(6):641.
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Hill Z, McCarty PJ, Boles RG, Frye RE. A Mitochondrial Supplement Improves Function and Mitochondrial Activity in Autism: A double-blind placebo-controlled cross-over trial. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2025 Mar 10;26(6):2479.
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Krajmalnik-Brown R, Lozupone C, Kang DW, Adams JB. Gut bacteria in children with autism spectrum disorders: challenges and promise of studying how a complex community influences a complex disease. Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease. 2015 Dec 1;26(1):26914.
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Kalra R, Chatterjee S, Goyal M, Goyal K. Aquatic Therapy and Autism: A Therapeutic Alliance. In Rehabilitation Approach in Autism 2025 Apr 12 (pp. 121-133). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.
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Rossignol DA, Frye RE. Early biomarker for autism spectrum disorder unveiled–what are we learning?. Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics. 2025 Aug 3;25(8):413-8.
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Stavridou T, Driga AM, Drigas A. Blood Markers in Detection of Autism. Int. J. Recent Contributions Eng. Sci. IT. 2021 Jun;9(2):79-86.
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Taylor A, Newman G, D'Adamo CR. Elimination of Autism Symptoms Using the Specific Carbohydrate Diet: Literature Review and Case Report. Integrative Medicine (Encinitas, Calif.). 2026 Feb 1;25(1):20-8.
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