Parents using the gluten-free, casein-free (GFCF) diet to treat symptoms of autism in their children often report good results. The diet eliminates all traces of gluten (a protein found in the grains wheat, barley and rye) and casein (a protein found in milk products).
History
Parents first began using the gluten-free, casein free diet to treat autism in their children in the late 1980s and early 1990s, after research showed that autistic children had abnormal peptides in their urine. Researchers speculated that the peptides, which were fragments of opioid compounds, could cause some of the more common behaviors in autism, such as hyperactivity. And parents who tried the GFCF diet with their children reported that these common behaviors diminished in children who ate a diet free of gluten and casein.
Types
Autistic children following a gluten-free, casein-free diet cannot eat any foods containing wheat, barley, rye or milk. This eliminates many child-favorite foods, such as regular bread, pasta and macaroni and cheese. However, some food manufacturers have created gluten- and casein-free versions of these foods. And, many other foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables and fresh meats, chicken and fish, all are naturally gluten and casein free.
Benefits
Many autistic children who follow a gluten- and casein-free diet improve, according to the GFCF Diet Support Group. The group surveyed its members and found that only about 10 percent of parents reported no change or regression in children on a GFCF diet. Some parents, most notably celebrity author Jenny McCarthy, report dramatic improvements or even reversal of autism on the diet. However, a consensus report published in 2010 in the medical journal "Pediatrics" conclude that there's not enough evidence to determine if the gluten- and casein-free diet works in autism.
Time Frame
Younger autistic children appear to benefit the most from the gluten- and casein-free diet, according to the GFCF Diet Support Group. Children under 42 months old at the start of the diet tended to have an "excellent" or "very good" response, while those who were four or five years old when they started eating gluten and casein free had just "good" or "moderate" results. Experts in the diet note that parents need to follow the diet strictly for at least several months to determine whether it will help their child.
Considerations
Implementing the gluten- and casein-free diet is difficult work for parents, who need to become expert label-readers and often need to create or find substitutes for favorite foods. Unless the entire family eats gluten and casein free, the adult making meals will need to cook something separately for the child who is following the GFCF diet. Eating out at a restaurant while following the GFCF diet also can be challenging, since so many restaurants feature foods such as macaroni and cheese on their children's menus.
Member Comments