Renee Dufault

Last updated
Renee Dufault
Alma mater A.T. Still University, D.H.Ed.

University of Maryland M.A.

University of California Davis B.S.
OccupationPublic Health Service Officer
Employer(s) FDA, EPA, NIH
Known for Whistleblower Macroepigenetics

Renee Dufault is an American research scientist. She is a former Food and Drug Administration researcher and whistleblower who brought media attention to three separate studies that discovered mercury contained within high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Dufault has claimed there is a direct connection between inorganic mercury and glucose levels in the blood that showed dietary inorganic mercury exposure may be a risk factor in the development of diabetes. [1]

Contents

Education

Dufault earned her Doctorate of Health Education (D.H.Ed.) degree from A.T. Still University in Missouri, and a B.S. in the Environmental Sciences from the University of California Davis (UCD). [2]

Career

In the 1970s, Dufault enlisted in the U.S. Army as a medical laboratory technician. She then served in the Navy as an Industrial Hygiene Officer before transferring to the United States Public Health Service. While in the Public Health Service, she taught a training course at United Tribes Technical College [3] as part of the Indian Country Environmental Hazard Assessment Project. [4] She also developed a healthy diet tutorial for the Fort Peck Tribal Community College. [5] The tutorial was used as an intervention tool for improving dietary behavior in tribal college students, with the goal of reducing students' intake of highly processed foods and increasing their intake of "whole foods", while reducing their blood glucose and inorganic mercury levels. [6] Dufault has remained connected to various tribes throughout her career.

During her federal career, Dufault worked for the National Institutes of Health, the Environmental Protection Agency, Shoshone-Paiute Tribes and the Food and Drug Administration. She now works as an independent researcher and writer.

In 2004, Dufault began researching the mercury cycle on behalf of the FDA, which involved, among other things, analyzing a number of food products listing HFCS as either the first or second ingredient on the label. An EPA colleague inspired Dufault to follow up on this science because the caustic soda (lye) produced by the mercury cell chlorine industry likely contained mercury as a residue. During the course of her investigation, she found out that the biggest user of mercury cell chlorine products was the corn refining industry. In a confidential interview with a corn refiner, Dufault learned mercury cell caustic soda was used primarily by the corn refiners in their manufacturing process to lengthen the shelf life of corn syrups. Dufault enlisted the help of several colleagues to test whether high fructose corn syrup or products containing high fructose corn syrup contained trace amounts of mercury. [7]

While her research team initially tested only 20 samples, 45% of the samples contained trace amounts of mercury. Dufault then sent additional virgin samples of HFCS to two different laboratories, in order to independently confirm her results. Acting as third parties, the federal and academic laboratories tested and independently verified the presence of low levels of mercury in the HFCS samples and foods containing HFCS. [7] [8]

In October 2005, Dufault, and her extramural academic colleagues presented their preliminary findings to the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN). At that time, Dufault was asked to halt the investigation. In 2006, Dufault attempted to publish the findings of her research on mercury levels contained within HFCS, but was denied the usage of the federal extramural data. [9]

She quit her position in 2008, citing her intention to make her research public, and a belief that the FDA no longer supported her work. [8] [9] Dufault and her collaborators published their findings of mercury in HFCS in 2009. [10]

Macroepigenetics

Dufault developed and published a scientific model to explain the side effects of HFCS consumption called “macroepigenetics”. This model describes the dietary factors that impact gene behavior in the human body to bring about conditions of autism or ADHD. This model can be used by researchers and physicians who want to guard against these chronic developmental disorders and improve health outcomes. [11] [ unreliable source? ]

The model established a possible link between autism and certain environmental and dietary factors, including HFCS consumption, which has been shown to cause losses in zinc and calcium, Such losses can impair a child's ability to flush toxic metals (such as mercury) from his or her system, and impact the developing brain. [11] [12] Since the theory of "macroepigenetics" was originally introduced by Dufault, other researchers have found additional evidence to support the model. [13] [14] The model was most recently updated by Dufault and her collaborators in 2023 and is recognized by some groups as a working nutritional epigenetics model that explains the increasing rates of autism and ADHD in American children. [15] [16] [17] [ unreliable source? ]

Inception of nutritional epigenetics model for autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Dufault developed and published the first nutritional epigenetics model for autism in 2009 which shows the impact of dietary mercury (Hg) exposure on the metallothionein (MT) gene when the child is zinc (Zn) deficient. [18] In 2009, the term “nutritional epigenetics” had not yet been coined and Dufault named her model the “Mercury Toxicity Model”. At the time the model was created, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimated the average American was consuming 30.4 pounds of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) each year. [19] Dufault linked the consumption of HFCS to zinc losses and the subsequent impairment of the MT gene, which results in oxidative stress and symptoms of autism. [20]

The term “nutritional epigenetics” was coined one year after publication of Dufault’s “Mercury Toxicity Model”. Farhud et al. described mechanisms of “nutritional epigenetics” in a paper published in 2010. [21] Featured below is Dufault’s updated nutritional epigenetics model for autism and ADHD which includes the constructs of previously published models that shows the role dietary lead (Pb) and Hg exposures play in PON1 gene inhibition that occurs in both autism and ADHD. [22] The model was recently used to test a successful intervention in a clinical trial with results published in 2024. [22] Parents of children with autism and ADHD who took part in the intervention improved their diets by significantly reducing their intake of ultra-processed foods and changed their attitude about the role of diet in controlling their child’s behaviors. [22]

Private sector

Dufault founded the Food Ingredient and Health Research Institute, a non-profit that advocates for food ingredient safety, better food and nutrition education and research. Since leaving the FDA, Dufault has identified two separate ways that mercury can enter high fructose corn syrup and products containing high fructose corn syrup. She has also researched a link between mercury and chronic health conditions such as diabetes, autism and ADHD. In 2017, she argued that inorganic mercury may be one reason why autism impacts boys more often than girls. [23] Dufault has investigated food labeling requirements in the United Kingdom that warns consumers about the food ingredients that contribute to the development of ADHD and autism. [24] [ unreliable source? ]

Bibliography

Unsafe at Any Meal:What the FDA Does Not Want You to Know About the Foods You Eat

The curriculum used in the successful nutritional epigenetics intervention for parents of children with autism and ADHD consists of a textbook and study guide. [25] Unsafe At Any Meal: What the FDA Does Not Want You to Know About the Foods You Eat was published on May 1, 2017, by Square One Publication. The book is based on Dufault's independent research, conducted during her time with the FDA, and includes supporting studies conducted by others. She describes the process whereby various heavy metals, such as mercury and other toxic substances, can be found in trace amounts in many products commonly sold at the supermarket. She also explains how exposures to heavy metals and toxic substances create conditions for the development of autism and ADHD. She discusses the FDA's refusal to act, provides advice on how to avoid these contaminants, and discusses the effectiveness of regulations designed to protect the public. [26]

Nutritional Epigenetics: Unsafe At Any Meal Study Guide

The study guide titled, “Nutritional Epigenetics: Unsafe At Any Meal” was published April 25, 2023. The purpose of the study guide is to provide modules of instruction for each chapter in the textbook. Each module of instruction includes a reading guide, hands-on activities, and video assignments to provide different ways for students, including book study group participants, to access information. [25] A laypeople friendly article was recently published by Research Features to provide consumers with more information about Dufault’s work in nutritional epigenetics and the link between diet, autism, and ADHD. [27]

Select publications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Starch</span> Glucose polymer used as energy store in plants

Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage. Worldwide, it is the most common carbohydrate in human diets, and is contained in large amounts in staple foods such as wheat, potatoes, maize (corn), rice, and cassava (manioc).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sugar</span> Sweet-tasting, water-soluble carbohydrates

Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double sugars, are molecules made of two bonded monosaccharides; common examples are sucrose, lactose, and maltose. White sugar is a refined form of sucrose. In the body, compound sugars are hydrolysed into simple sugars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sucralose</span> Non-nutritive sweetener

Sucralose is an artificial sweetener and sugar substitute. As the majority of ingested sucralose is not metabolized by the body, it adds very little food energy. In the European Union, it is also known under the E number E955. It is produced by chlorination of sucrose, selectively replacing three of the hydroxy groups—in the C1 and C6 positions of the fructose portion and the C4 position of the glucose portion—to give a 1,6-dichloro-1,6-dideoxyfructose–4-chloro-4-deoxygalactose disaccharide. Sucralose is about 600 times sweeter than sucrose, 3 times as sweet as both aspartame and acesulfame potassium, and 2 times as sweet as sodium saccharin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fructose</span> Simple ketonic monosaccharide found in many plants

Fructose, or fruit sugar, is a ketonic simple sugar found in many plants, where it is often bonded to glucose to form the disaccharide sucrose. It is one of the three dietary monosaccharides, along with glucose and galactose, that are absorbed by the gut directly into the blood of the portal vein during digestion. The liver then converts both fructose and galactose into glucose, so that dissolved glucose, known as blood sugar, is the only monosaccharide present in circulating blood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Molasses</span> Viscous by-product of the refining of sugarcane, grapes, or sugar beets into sugar

Molasses is a viscous byproduct, principally obtained from the refining of sugarcane or sugar beet juice into sugar. Molasses varies in the amount of sugar, the method of extraction and age of the plant. Sugarcane molasses is usually used to sweeten and flavour foods. Molasses is a major constituent of fine commercial brown sugar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercury poisoning</span> Poisoning caused by mercury chemicals

Mercury poisoning is a type of metal poisoning due to exposure to mercury. Symptoms depend upon the type, dose, method, and duration of exposure. They may include muscle weakness, poor coordination, numbness in the hands and feet, skin rashes, anxiety, memory problems, trouble speaking, trouble hearing, or trouble seeing. High-level exposure to methylmercury is known as Minamata disease. Methylmercury exposure in children may result in acrodynia in which the skin becomes pink and peels. Long-term complications may include kidney problems and decreased intelligence. The effects of long-term low-dose exposure to methylmercury are unclear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fructose malabsorption</span> Medical condition

Fructose malabsorption, formerly named dietary fructose intolerance (DFI), is a digestive disorder in which absorption of fructose is impaired by deficient fructose carriers in the small intestine's enterocytes. This results in an increased concentration of fructose. Intolerance to fructose was first identified and reported in 1956.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Methylmercury</span> Toxic chemical compound

Methylmercury (sometimes methyl mercury) is an organometallic cation with the formula [CH3Hg]+. It is the simplest organomercury compound. Methylmercury is extremely toxic, and its derivatives are the major source of organic mercury for humans. It is a bioaccumulative environmental toxicant with a 50-day half-life. Methylmercury is the causative agent of the infamous Minamata disease.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High-fructose corn syrup</span> Processed corn syrup

High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), also known as glucose–fructose, isoglucose and glucose–fructose syrup, is a sweetener made from corn starch. As in the production of conventional corn syrup, the starch is broken down into glucose by enzymes. To make HFCS, the corn syrup is further processed by D-xylose isomerase to convert some of its glucose into fructose. HFCS was first marketed in the early 1970s by the Clinton Corn Processing Company, together with the Japanese Agency of Industrial Science and Technology, where the enzyme was discovered in 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agave syrup</span> Sweetener

Agave syrup, also known as maguey syrup or agave nectar, is a sweetener commercially produced from several species of agave, including Agave tequilana and Agave salmiana. Blue-agave syrup contains 56% fructose as a sugar providing sweetening properties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western pattern diet</span> Modern dietary pattern

The Western pattern diet is a modern dietary pattern that is generally characterized by high intakes of pre-packaged foods, refined grains, red meat, processed meat, high-sugar drinks, candy and sweets, fried foods, industrially produced animal products, butter and other high-fat dairy products, eggs, potatoes, corn, and low intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, pasture-raised animal products, fish, nuts, and seeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corn Refiners Association</span> American trade association

The Corn Refiners Association (CRA) is a trade association based in Washington, D.C. It represents the corn refining industry in the United States. Corn refining encompasses the production of corn starch, corn oil, and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Lustig</span> Endocrinologist, professor

Robert H. Lustig is an American pediatric endocrinologist. He is professor emeritus of pediatrics in the division of endocrinology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), where he specialized in neuroendocrinology and childhood obesity. He is also director of UCSF's WATCH program, and president and co-founder of the non-profit Institute for Responsible Nutrition.

Critics and competitors of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), notably the sugar industry, have for many years used various public relations campaigns to claim the sweetener causes certain health conditions, despite the lack of scientific evidence that HFCS differs nutritionally from sugar. The HFCS industry has tried to respond to these campaigns with their own efforts.

Nutrition psychology is the psychological study of the relationship between dietary intake and different aspects of psychological health. It is an applied field that uses an interdisciplinary approach to examine the influence of diet on mental health. Nutrition psychology seeks to understand the relationship between nutritional behavior, mental health and general well-being. It is a sub-field of psychology and more specifically of health psychology, and may be applied to numerous related fields, including psychology, dietetics, nutrition, and marketing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Added sugar</span> Caloric sweeteners added to food and beverages

Added sugars or free sugars are sugar carbohydrates added to food and beverages at some point before their consumption. These include added carbohydrates, and more broadly, sugars naturally present in honey, syrup, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates. They can take multiple chemical forms, including sucrose, glucose (dextrose), and fructose.

Citizens for Health is a U.S. non-profit organization which advocates on issues affecting nutrition, obesity, dietary supplements, food labeling and other health matters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ultra-processed food</span> An industrially formulated edible substance

An ultra-processed food (UPF) is an industrially formulated edible substance derived from natural food or synthesized from other organic compounds. The resulting products are designed to be highly profitable, convenient, and hyperpalatable, often through food additives such as preservatives, colourings, and flavourings. UPFs have often undergone processes such as moulding/extruding, hydrogenation or frying.

The first 1,000 days describes the period from conception to 24 months of age in child development. This is considered a "critical period" in which sufficient nutrition and environmental factors have life-long effects on a child's overall health. While adequate nutrition can be exceptionally beneficial during this critical period, inadequate nutrition may also be detrimental to the child. This is because children establish many of their lifetime epigenetic characteristics in their first 1,000 days. Medical and public health interventions early on in child development during the first 1,000 days may have higher rates of success compared to those achieved outside of this period.

Nutritional epigenetics is a science that studies the effects of nutrition on gene expression and chromatin accessibility. It is a subcategory of nutritional genomics that focuses on the effects of bioactive food components on epigenetic events.

References

  1. ↑ Tribal EcoAmbassadors. American Indian Higher Education. 2015.
  2. ↑ "Don't sugarcoat it". atsu.edu. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
  3. ↑ "Course Information - Main View | Course Information | CEU 309 C - ICEHAP TrainingOccupational improvement | My.UTTC.edu". my.uttc.edu. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
  4. ↑ Dufault, Renee. "Volunteering for ICEHAP". The Synergist.
  5. ↑ "Tribal Eco Ambassadors" (PDF).
  6. ↑ Institution, Smithsonian. "Patterns of Health and Wellbeing 07: The Medicine of Food". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
  7. 1 2 "Corn Syrup's Mercury Surprise". Mother Jones. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  8. 1 2 "High Fructose Corn Syrup Meets Mercury". Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015.
  9. 1 2 "Renee Dufault » Food Integrity Campaign". www.foodwhistleblower.org. 9 July 2014. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  10. ↑ Dufault, Renee; LeBlanc, Blaise; Schnoll, Roseanne; Cornett, Charles; Schweitzer, Laura; Wallinga, David; Hightower, Jane; Patrick, Lyn; Lukiw, Walter J. (2009-01-26). "Mercury from chlor-alkali plants: measured concentrations in food product sugar". Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source. 8 (1): 2. Bibcode:2009EnvHe...8....2D. doi: 10.1186/1476-069X-8-2 . ISSN   1476-069X. PMC   2637263 . PMID   19171026.
  11. 1 2 "Autism Linked To Industrial Food Or Environment". Medical News Today. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  12. ↑ "Study links autism with industrial food, environment | Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy". Institute for Agriculture Policy. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  13. 1 2 Dufault, R.; Lukiw, W. J.; Crider, R.; Schnoll, R.; Wallinga, D.; Deth, R. (2012-04-10). "A macroepigenetic approach to identify factors responsible for the autism epidemic in the United States". Clinical Epigenetics. 4 (1): 6. doi: 10.1186/1868-7083-4-6 . PMC   3378453 . PMID   22490277.
  14. ↑ Netto, Bruna Bittencourt; da Silva, Elica Pizzolo; de Aguiar da Costa, Maiara; de Rezende, Victória Linden; Bolan, Sofia Januário; Ceretta, Luciane Bisognin; Aschner, Michael; Dominguini, Diogo; Gonçalves, Cinara Ludvig (2024-02-12). "Critical period of exposure to mercury and the diagnostic of autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review". Journal of Neurochemistry. doi:10.1111/jnc.16076. ISSN   1471-4159. PMID   38344837.
  15. ↑ "Alarming increases in the numbers of American children requiring special education services". News-Medical.net. 2023-04-27. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  16. ↑ "Autism and ADHD Rates Higher in American Children". Mirage News. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  17. ↑ Dufault, Renee J.; Crider, Raquel A.; Deth, Richard C.; Schnoll, Roseanne; Gilbert, Steven G.; Lukiw, Walter J.; Hitt, Amanda L. (2023-03-09). "Higher rates of autism and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in American children: Are food quality issues impacting epigenetic inheritance?". World Journal of Clinical Pediatrics. 12 (2): 25–37. doi: 10.5409/wjcp.v12.i2.25 . ISSN   2219-2808. PMC   10075020 . PMID   37034430.
  18. ↑ Dufault, Renee; Schnoll, Roseanne; Lukiw, Walter J.; Leblanc, Blaise; Cornett, Charles; Patrick, Lyn; Wallinga, David; Gilbert, Steven G.; Crider, Raquel (2009-10-27). "Mercury exposure, nutritional deficiencies and metabolic disruptions may affect learning in children". Behavioral and Brain Functions. 5: 44. doi: 10.1186/1744-9081-5-44 . ISSN   1744-9081. PMC   2773803 . PMID   19860886.
  19. ↑ "USDA ERS - Food Availability (Per Capita) Data System". www.ers.usda.gov. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
  20. ↑ Harder, Nathaniel H. O.; Hieronimus, Bettina; Stanhope, Kimber L.; Shibata, Noreene M.; Lee, Vivien; Nunez, Marinelle V.; Keim, Nancy L.; Bremer, Andrew; Havel, Peter J.; Heffern, Marie C.; Medici, Valentina (September 9, 2020). "Effects of Dietary Glucose and Fructose on Copper, Iron, and Zinc Metabolism Parameters in Humans". Nutrients. 12 (9): 2581. doi: 10.3390/nu12092581 . PMC   7551875 . PMID   32854403.
  21. ↑ Farhud, DD; Zarif Yeganeh, M; Zarif Yeganeh, M (2010-12-31). "Nutrigenomics and Nutrigenetics". Iranian Journal of Public Health. 39 (4): 1–14. ISSN   2251-6085. PMC   3481686 . PMID   23113033.
  22. 1 2 3 Dufault, Renee J.; Adler, Katherine M.; Carpenter, David O.; Gilbert, Steven G.; Crider, Raquel A. (2024-01-19). "Nutritional epigenetics education improves diet and attitude of parents of children with autism or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder". World Journal of Psychiatry. 14 (1): 159–178. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v14.i1.159 . PMC   10845225 . PMID   38327893.
  23. ↑ Dufault, Renee (2017-10-23). "Why Does Autism Impact Boys More Often Than Girls?". Scientific America.
  24. ↑ "Dufault 2018: Food labeling requirements may explain lower autism and ADHD prevalence in the United Kingdom". Talkingaboutthescience.com. August 24, 2018.
  25. 1 2 Dufault, Renee J; Adler, Katherine M; Carpenter, David O; Gilbert, Steven G; Crider, Raquel A (2024-01-19). "Nutritional epigenetics education improves diet and attitude of parents of children with autism or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder". World Journal of Psychiatry. 14 (1): 159–178. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v14.i1.159 . ISSN   2220-3206. PMC   10845225 . PMID   38327893.
  26. ↑ "Unsafe at Any Meal". Publishers Weekly.
  27. ↑ "Nutritional epigenetics: The link between diet, autism, and ADHD". Research Features. 2024-03-06. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
  28. ↑ Hoover, Elizabeth; Cook, Katsi; Plain, Ron; Sanchez, Kathy; Waghiyi, Vi; Miller, Pamela; Dufault, Renee; Sislin, Caitlin; Carpenter, David O. "Indigenous Peoples of North America: Environmental Exposures and Reproductive Justice". Environmental Health Perspectives. 120 (12): 1645–1649. doi:10.1289/ehp.1205422. ISSN   0091-6765. PMC   3548285 . PMID   22899635.
  29. ↑ Dufault, Renee J.; Wolle, Mesay M.; Kingston, H. M. Skip; Gilbert, Steven G.; Murray, Joseph A. (2021-07-20). "Connecting inorganic mercury and lead measurements in blood to dietary sources of exposure that may impact child development". World Journal of Methodology. 11 (4): 144–159. ISSN   2222-0682. PMC   8299913 . PMID   34322366.
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