Gluten, casein-free diet helps with autism

A gluten-free, casein-free diet may lead to improvements in behavior and physiological symptoms in some children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to research in the journal Nutritional Neuroscience.

The research team asked 387 parents or primary caregivers of children with ASD to complete a 90-item online survey about their children's GI symptoms, food allergy diagnoses, and suspected food sensitivities, as well as their children's degree of adherence to a gluten-free, casein-free diet. They found that a gluten-free, casein-free diet was more effective in improving ASD behaviors, physiological symptoms and social behaviors for those children with GI symptoms and with allergy symptoms compared to those without these symptoms.

Specifically, parents noted improved GI symptoms in their children as well as increases in their children's social behaviors, such as language production, eye contact, engagement, attention span, requesting behavior and social responsiveness, when they strictly followed a gluten-free, casein-free diet.

According to the researchers, autism may be more than a neurological disease -- it may involve the GI tract and the immune system. "There are strong connections between the immune system and the brain, which are mediated through multiple physiological symptoms," they said. "A majority of the pain receptors in the body are located in the gut, so by adhering to a gluten-free, casein-free diet, you're reducing inflammation and discomfort that may alter brain processing, making the body more receptive to ASD therapies."

The team also found that parents who implemented the diet for six months or less reported that the diet was less effective in reducing their child's ASD behaviors. Parents who completely eliminated both gluten and casein from their child's diet, as opposed to just on of them, reported the most benefit.

Bonnie: Progressive health professionals have known for years that the gut and brain are inextricably linked. However, it is always nice to see the research validate what we have seen clinically.