Health
Bill Gates likely had autism as a child, he reveals: ‘Wasn’t widely understood’
Bill Gates said he believes he would have been diagnosed with autism if he were growing up today.
The Microsoft co-founder and tech billionaire, 69, made the revelation in his upcoming memoir, “Source Code: My Beginnings.”
In an excerpt of the book, which was published in The Wall Street Journal, Gates wrote about how his parents “struggled with their complicated son” during his childhood in Washington State.
“If I were growing up today, I probably would be diagnosed on the autism spectrum,” Gates wrote.
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“During my childhood, the fact that some people’s brains process information differently from others wasn’t widely understood.”
Bill Gates said he believes he would have been diagnosed with autism if he were growing up today, as written in his upcoming memoir, “Source Code: My Beginnings.” (Reuters)
The term “neurodivergent,” which is widely used today, had not yet been coined while he was growing up, Gates noted.
“My parents had no guideposts or textbooks to help them grasp why their son became so obsessed with certain projects, missed social cues and could be rude and inappropriate without seeming to notice his effect on others,” he went on.
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Gates wrote about how his parents, Bill and Mary Gates, gave him the “precise blend of support and pressure” he needed to develop his social skills.
“Even with their influence, my social side would be slow to develop, as would my awareness of the impact I can have on other people,” he wrote. “But that has come with age, with experience, with children, and I’m better for it.”
“I wish it had come sooner, even if I wouldn’t trade the brain I was given for anything.”
Signs of autism disorder
The hallmark signs of autism are challenges with social communication skills and restricted and repetitive behaviors, according to Andy Shih, chief science officer at Autism Speaks in New York City.
The term “neurodivergent,” which is widely used today, had not yet been coined while he was growing up, Gates noted in the memoir. ( Justin Tallis – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
“This could look like avoidance of eye contact, delayed language development, difficulty understanding other people’s feelings, repeating words or phrases, hand flapping, or having very intense and specific interests,” he told Fox News Digital.
“I wouldn’t trade the brain I was given for anything.”
On the behavioral side, autism spectrum disorder can also manifest as a “rigid reliance on routines, an intense focus on specific topics or sensory sensitivities,” according to Jonathan Alpert, a psychotherapist in New York City.
Autism is a spectrum, Alpert noted, which means symptoms can vary significantly in type and severity.
Off the radar
Alpert confirmed that autism “wasn’t on peoples’ radar” as much when Gates was a child as it is today.
“Autism wasn’t widely recognized or understood decades ago,” he said. “Back then, the diagnostic criteria were much narrower, and awareness was limited even among healthcare professionals.”
The hallmark signs of autism are challenges with social communication skills and restricted and repetitive behaviors, one expert noted. (iStock)
What is now known as the autism spectrum was categorized differently or overlooked entirely, Alpert noted.
“As a result, many individuals who would meet today’s criteria for autism went undiagnosed.”
Shih agreed that autism diagnoses were much less common when Gates was growing up in the 50s and 60s.
“Autism was first described by Leo Kanner in 1943, and while awareness grew slowly in the following decades, it wasn’t until the 80s and 90s that autism spectrum disorder was introduced into the DSM (the diagnostic manual used in the U.S.) and became widely recognized and diagnosed at higher rates,” he told Fox News Digital.
Reasons for rising cases
One in 45 adults in the U.S. are diagnosed with autism, Shih noted — more than ever before.
“Autism prevalence has risen due to increased public and professional awareness of autism, broader diagnostic criteria for autism, improved screening tools like the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT), and standardized screening processes,” he stated.
“Autism wasn’t widely recognized or understood decades ago,” one psychotherapist said. “Back then, the diagnostic criteria were much narrower, and awareness was limited even among healthcare professionals.” (iStock)
“These factors have led to earlier detection and more diagnoses.”
The growing prevalence of autism is a highly debated topic, Alpert noted.
“Much of the increase in autism diagnoses can likely be attributed to improved awareness, broader diagnostic criteria and better access to healthcare services,” he told Fox News Digital.
“Autism wasn’t widely recognized or understood decades ago.”
Other factors, however — such as environmental exposures and genetic predispositions — are also being studied as potential contributors.
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“While it’s essential to identify and support those with legitimate diagnoses, there’s also concern that over-diagnosis — potentially influenced by societal trends or misinterpretations by less experienced therapists — can trivialize the condition and undermine those truly in need of support,” Alpert cautioned.
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Despite the growth in diagnoses, there are still missed diagnoses, Shih noted.
The expert said, “While society is much more aware of autism today than ever before thanks to improved public health outreach and increased screening, advocacy and awareness efforts, there are still likely many adults with autism who never received a diagnosis or were misdiagnosed.”
Bill Gates’ memoir, “Source Code: My Beginnings,” will be published on Feb. 4 by Knopf.
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Eating too much salt has long been linked to high blood pressure, but new research suggests it could trick the immune system into prematurely aging the blood vessels.
A preclinical study recently published in the Journal of the American Heart Association has identified a biological chain reaction that links a salty diet to cardiovascular decay.
Scientists at the University of South Alabama observed that mice on a high-salt diet experienced rapid deterioration in their blood vessel function.
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After just four weeks of high sodium intake, the small arteries responsible for regulating blood flow lost their ability to relax, according to a press release.
The team found that the cells lining these vessels had entered a state of cellular senescence, a form of premature cellular aging in which cells stop dividing and release a mix of inflammatory signals that can damage surrounding tissue.
Excess salt has long been linked to high blood pressure, but a new study goes deeper into its effects on the cardiovascular system. (iStock)
The researchers tried to replicate this damage by exposing blood vessel cells directly to salt in a laboratory dish, but the cells showed no harmful effects.
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This suggests that salt isn’t directly causing damage to the vascular lining but that the real culprit may be the body’s own defense mechanism, the researchers noted.
Excess salt may trigger the immune system to release a molecule called interleukin-16 (IL-16), which acts as a messenger that instructs blood vessel cells to grow old before their time, according to the study.
Excess salt may trigger the immune system to release a molecule called interleukin-16, which acts as a messenger that instructs blood vessel cells to grow old before their time, according to the study. (iStock)
Once these cells age, they fail to produce nitric oxide, the essential gas that tells arteries to dilate and stay flexible.
To test whether this process could be reversed, the team turned to a class of experimental drugs known as senolytics.
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Using a cancer medication called navitoclax, which selectively clears out aged and dysfunctional cells, the researchers were able to restore nearly normal blood vessel function in the salt-fed mice, the release stated.
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By removing the decaying cells created by the high-salt diet, the drug allowed the remaining healthy tissue to maintain its elasticity and respond correctly to blood flow demands.
Excess salt may trigger the immune system into stopping the cells from dividing, the study suggests. (iStock)
The study did have some limitations. The transition from mouse models to human treatment remains a significant hurdle, the team cautioned.
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Senolytic drugs like navitoclax are still being studied for safety, and the team emphasized that previous trials have shown mixed results regarding their impact on artery plaque.
Additionally, the researchers have not yet confirmed whether the same IL-16 pathway is the primary driver of vascular aging in humans.
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Eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables was found to have a surprising link to lung cancer among younger non-smokers, early research suggests.
The observational study, led by Jorge Nieva, M.D., of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center at Keck Medicine, was presented this month at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting in San Diego. It has not yet been peer-reviewed.
Researchers looked at dietary, smoking and demographic data for 187 patients who were diagnosed with lung cancer at age 50 or younger.
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They found that among non-smokers, there was a link between healthier-than-average diets – rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains – and the chance of lung cancer development.
Young lung cancer patients ate more servings of dark green vegetables, legumes and whole grains compared to the average U.S. adult, the researchers found.
Eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables was found to have a surprising link to lung cancer among younger non-smokers, early research suggests. (iStock)
The researchers hypothesized that pesticides applied to conventionally grown produce could be a possible factor in the disease association.
“Commercially produced (non-organic) fruits, vegetables and whole grains are more likely to be associated with a higher residue of pesticides than dairy, meat and many processed foods,” according to Nieva. He also noted that agricultural workers exposed to pesticides tend to have higher rates of lung cancer.
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“There is a large subset of lung cancer patients whose disease is not caused by smoking,” Nieva told Fox News Digital.
The disease is becoming more common in non-smokers 50 and younger, especially women – despite the fact that smoking rates have been falling for decades, the researcher noted.
The researchers hypothesized that pesticides applied to conventionally grown produce could be a possible factor in the disease association. (iStock)
“These patients tend to have eaten much healthier diets before their diagnosis than the average American,” he went on. “We need to support research into understanding why Americans – and women in particular – who no longer smoke very much are still having lung cancer,” he said.
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The study did have some limitations, Nieva acknowledged, primarily that it relied on survey data and was limited by the participants’ memories of their food intake.
“Also, the survey participants were self-selected, and this could have biased the findings,” he told Fox News Digital.
“There is a large subset of lung cancer patients whose disease is not caused by smoking.”
The researchers did not test specific foods for pesticides, relying instead on average pesticide levels for certain types of food. Looking ahead, they plan to test patients’ blood and urine samples to directly measure pesticide levels, Nieva said.
Although the study shows only an association and does not prove that pesticides caused lung cancer, Nieva recommends that people wash their produce before eating and choose organic foods whenever possible.
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“This work represents a critical step toward identifying modifiable environmental factors that may contribute to lung cancer in young adults,” said Nieva. “Our hope is that these insights can guide both public health recommendations and future investigation into lung cancer prevention.”
“It is possible that the increased lung cancer risk could be due to pesticide exposure in whole farmed foods, but is by no means certain,” a doctor said. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, said the study is “interesting,” but that it “raises far more questions than it answers.”
“It is a small study (around 150) and observational, so no proof,” the doctor, who was not involved in the research, told Fox News Digital.
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“It is possible that the increased lung cancer risk could be due to pesticide exposure in whole farmed foods, but it is by no means certain,” Siegel went on. “How much exposure is needed? How much of it gets into food and in which areas? This requires much further study.”
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Kayla Nichols, communications director for Pesticide Action & Agroecology Network, a distributed global network, said the organization agrees with the study’s conclusion that more research should be done on the rise in lung cancer, particularly in individuals eating diets higher in produce and fiber.
“There is a large subset of lung cancer patients whose disease is not caused by smoking,” the researcher told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
“There is a bounty of existing research that already links pesticide exposure to increased risk of multiple types of cancers,” Nichols, who was also not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. She called for more research on chronic, low-level exposures to pesticides, as well as more effective policies to protect the public from pesticide residues on food.
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The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute, as well as industry partners including AstraZeneca and Genentech, among others.
Fox News Digital reached out to several pesticide companies and trade groups for comment.
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