|  | Conditions Treatments | Autism

Gluten Free Diet & Autism

Autism is a developmental disease for which there is no real cure. Although autism cannot be cured, some individuals are suggesting that its symptoms can be somewhat controlled or mitigated through the use of a specialized diet. Placing your autistic child on a diet that is gluten free can help reduce symptoms, giving him the best opportunity to lead a normal life.

  1. Autism

    • Autism first affects children during their first three years of life, and can manifest in a variety of different ways. Children with autism often have extreme difficulty communicating or socially interacting, along with markedly altered responses to stimuli such as noises, light, or pain. Treatment for autistic children is done on a case-by-case basis, using therapy to "reprogram" the child while using medication to treat his more blatant symptoms.

    Gluten

    • Gluten is a type of protein found in all sorts of grains, including rye, wheat and barley. Although the amount of gluten in foods can be reduced through manufacturing processes, gluten can never be wholly eliminated. While most grains contain gluten, some do not. Samples of these grains include rice, corn, oats and quinoa.

    Implementing a Gluten Free Diet

    • During a study performed at the University of California Health System, it was discovered that there is a link between individuals with autism and prevalence of gastrointestinal difficulties. One proposed theory holds that those children with autism are unable to properly digest items containing gluten, which then cascades into the exhibition of developmental difficulties as their bodies accumulate behavior-altering chemicals from the intolerable foods.

    Implementing a Gluten Free Diet

    • Remove all foods containing gluten from your child's diet to help combat the symptoms of autism. The most common foods containing gluten are breads, cereals, pasta, processed foods, and all foods containing refined or whole wheat flour. In addition, although oats do not contain gluten, removal of oats is highly recommended as well as they are often prepared near items that contain gluten, so trace contamination can occur.

    Research

    • A 2002 study in the journal Nutritional Neuroscience studied the effects of implementing a gluten free diet on children with autism. The study was held for 12 months, and at the end, the children who subsided on the gluten free diet had markedly fewer autistic episodes than the children in the control group. Thus, although elimination diets to combat autism are a relatively recent endeavor, they seem to have some merit in curbing the symptoms of this disease.

Autism - Related Articles