'Autism Diet' May Not Improve Symptoms
'Autism Diet' May Not Improve Symptoms
Study Casts Doubt on Effectiveness of Casein-Free and Gluten-Free Diets
May 19, 2010 --The so-called autism diet -- a gluten-free, casein-free eating plan -- does not appear to improve the symptoms of children with the group of neurodevelopmental disorders known as autism spectrum disorder or ASD, according to a new study.
About one in 110 U.S. children has ASD, which includes classic autism as well as Asperger's syndrome and other forms marked by difficulties in social interaction and communication. Bowel problems are also common in ASD children.
The use of the so-called autism diet has become popular, with up to 27% of parents reporting its use and anecdotal reports praising it. It eliminates the proteins gluten and casein.
But in the small group of children studied, "we did not see a demonstrable improvement," says the study researcher Susan Hyman, MD, associate professor of pediatrics, Golisano Children's Hospital at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, N.Y. She is due to present the findings Saturday at the International Meeting for Autism Research in Philadelphia.
The new study results follow another report, published in the summer edition of Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, concluding that 14 published studies of the gluten-free, casein-free diet did not find it useful.
Hyman and her colleagues enrolled 22 children with ASD, all between 2 and 1/2 and 5 and 1/2 years old. After dropouts, 14 finished the 18-week study. None of these 14 participants had wheat or milk allergies, celiac disease (in which the small intestine is damaged from eating gluten), or iron deficiency.
All the children participated in at least 10 hours a week of early intensive behavior intervention to make the group as similar as possible. All children were put on a strict gluten-free, casein-free diet.
The autism diet has become popular based on a theory that some children have insufficient enzyme activity in their gastrointestinal tracts, resulting in incomplete digestion of casein, a protein found in milk and other dairy products, and gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and other grains. The incomplete breakdown is what leads to the symptoms, advocates of the dietary approach contend.
'Autism Diet' May Not Improve Symptoms
Study Casts Doubt on Effectiveness of Casein-Free and Gluten-Free Diets
May 19, 2010 --The so-called autism diet -- a gluten-free, casein-free eating plan -- does not appear to improve the symptoms of children with the group of neurodevelopmental disorders known as autism spectrum disorder or ASD, according to a new study.
About one in 110 U.S. children has ASD, which includes classic autism as well as Asperger's syndrome and other forms marked by difficulties in social interaction and communication. Bowel problems are also common in ASD children.
The use of the so-called autism diet has become popular, with up to 27% of parents reporting its use and anecdotal reports praising it. It eliminates the proteins gluten and casein.
But in the small group of children studied, "we did not see a demonstrable improvement," says the study researcher Susan Hyman, MD, associate professor of pediatrics, Golisano Children's Hospital at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, N.Y. She is due to present the findings Saturday at the International Meeting for Autism Research in Philadelphia.
The new study results follow another report, published in the summer edition of Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, concluding that 14 published studies of the gluten-free, casein-free diet did not find it useful.
Putting the Autism Diet to the Test
Hyman and her colleagues enrolled 22 children with ASD, all between 2 and 1/2 and 5 and 1/2 years old. After dropouts, 14 finished the 18-week study. None of these 14 participants had wheat or milk allergies, celiac disease (in which the small intestine is damaged from eating gluten), or iron deficiency.
All the children participated in at least 10 hours a week of early intensive behavior intervention to make the group as similar as possible. All children were put on a strict gluten-free, casein-free diet.
The autism diet has become popular based on a theory that some children have insufficient enzyme activity in their gastrointestinal tracts, resulting in incomplete digestion of casein, a protein found in milk and other dairy products, and gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and other grains. The incomplete breakdown is what leads to the symptoms, advocates of the dietary approach contend.