Autism affects one in 110 children, and nearly one in 70 boys, according to a 2009 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With both cures and causes for the disease unknown, some parents try to relieve their children's symptoms with dietary changes, including eliminating gluten and yeast from the kids' diets. Anecdotal support for the diet abounds, but the effectiveness of this controversial autism treatment remains unproven scientifically.
Diet and Autistic Children
Supporters of the yeast and gluten-free diet include actress Jenny McCarthy, whose son was diagnosed with autism when he was two, and the late Dr. J. Robert Cade, who spent 15 years studying the effects of eliminating gluten and casein, a milk protein, from the diets of autistic patients. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, oats and rye. People with autism are unable to properly digest these proteins, and absorb toxic byproducts instead. Dr. Cade said his research found that eliminating the proteins can help relieve some of the symptoms of autism.
Scientific Inconclusiveness
As many as one third of children diagnosed with autism are placed on special diets. Susan Hyman, a University of Rochester pediatrician who led a small, controlled study concerning diet and autism, said her research found no correlation between gluten, casein and symptoms of autism. The study involved 14 children with autism, none of whom had milk allergies or celiac disease, a condition in which the lining of the small intestine is especially sensitive to gluten. The children followed a gluten-free, casein-free diet for four weeks. Once a week for the next 12 weeks, the children were fed snacks. Some snacks contained wheat, some casein, some both and some neither. Parents, teachers and a research assistant were asked to observe the children's behavior before and after the snacks. No changes in behavior were noted in the behavior of children who ate snacks containing wheat and milk.
New Study May Support Dietary Changes
In the United Kingdom, evidence supporting the claims about diet and autism will be presented in October 2010 at the Education and Services for People with Autism conference. The results are based on two years of scientific research, but details of the study have not yet been released. Some children with autism are placed on diets that also eliminate yeast, sugar and soy, but there is insufficient research to support or refute proponents' claims that these additional dietary restrictions have merit.
Making Changes
Parents who want to experiment with their children's diets need to become food detectives. Food that contains wheat must be labeled as such under guidelines imposed by the 2006 Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act. Other sources of gluten, such as barley or rye, needn't be included in the warning label. Parents must look specifically for the word gluten on the label. Some extracts, starches and dextrin also contain gluten.
Hidden Ingredients
Yeast can also be hidden in foods. Parents expect to find it in most breads, but may be surprised to know that yeast can also show up in cider, vinegar, coffee, tea, spices, milk products, canned fruit and frozen fruit juices. Casein is found not only in products containing cow's milk but in some cheeses made from goat and sheep milk, and in some nondairy cheeses, including almond and soy. If a product contains casein, the word "casein" should appear on the list of product ingredients.
References
- "USA Today"; Special die doesn't help autistic children in small study; Researchers tested effects of wheat and dairy products; Rita Rubin, May 20, 2010, p. 7D
- "The Northern Echo"; Meeting will probe link between autism and diet; Barry Nelson; July 24, 2010
- Autisim-society.org: About Autism
- AutismDiet.com
- Wheat-free.org
Member Comments