Gluten and Autism

CASIEN and GLUTEN

Can taking them out of my child's diet really improve the symptoms of autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD)? Gluten and autism are getting a lot of attention in the autism community and from doctors in the "Defeat Autism Now!" biomedical movement. Some experts say children have shown mild to dramatic improvements in speech and/or behavior after these substances were removed from their diet. Some also report that their children have experienced fewer bouts of diarrhea and loose stools since starting a gluten-free, casein-free diet. Writer Donna Williams, an adult with autism, says she has been helped by "nutritional supplements together with a dairy/gluten-free and low Salicylate diet." Some people report no benefits from the GFCF diet.
Gluten and gluten-like proteins are found in wheat and other grains, including oats, rye, barley, bulgur, durum, Kamet and spelt, and foods made from those grains. They are also found in food starches, semolina, couscous, malt, some vinegars, soy sauce, flavorings, and artificial colors and hydrolyzed vegetable proteins.


Casein is a protein found in milk and products containing milk, such as cheese, butter, yogurt, ice cream, whey and even some brands of margarine. It also may be added to non-milk products such as soy cheese and hot dogs in the form of casein ate.
The theory is that some people with autism and PDD cannot properly digest gluten and casein and therefore the gluten and autism connection: which form substances that act like opiates in their bodies. This "drug" substance alters the person's behavior, perceptions, and responses to his environment, according to this theory. Research in the U.S. and Europe has found substances with opiate activity in the urine of a significant number of children with autism. A doctor can order a urinary peptide test that can tell if proteins are not being digested properly.
There is growing interest in the link between gluten and autism and gastrointestinal ailments. A study by the University of California Davis Health System found that children with autism born in the 1990s were more likely to have gastrointestinal problems, including constipation, diarrhea and vomiting, than autistic children who were born in the early 1980s. Some people use the GFCF diet mostly to treat gastrointestinal problems.
Studies are currently underway to examine the effectiveness of the GFCF diet, which has not gained widespread acceptance in the U.S. medical communities.