OT: Enzyme found to help moderate autistic behaviour

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Enzyme found to help moderate autistic behaviour

By Steve Rotherham

May 08, 2004

DIGESTIVE enzyme capsules can help treat gut problems associated with

autism, according to some doctors, scientists and parents of autistic

children.

Perth mother Prue Pendlebury says her autistic son, on, 9, has

become healthier and better behaved in the 12 months that he has been

taking the enzyme supplements.

" Nowadays on can eat normal food, " Pendlebury says. " Before he

started on the enzymes there were a lot of foods he couldn't

tolerate. "

on had been unable to eat dairy, eggs or grains – such as

wheat, rye and oats – that contained gluten, a protein that some

researchers believe many autistic people cannot tolerate. Eating

these foods tends to trigger episodes of extreme aggression or self-

harm, according to Pendlebury. While on is still autistic and

underweight, he has come a long way since starting the enzymes.

" on has a much more balanced diet now, " she says.

" He gained weight and his health improved after starting the enzymes. "

A 2002 study by Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital

found more than 50 per cent of autistic children appear to have

gastrointestinal symptoms, food allergies, and maldigestion or

malabsorption problems. These problems seemed to be linked with the

social, emotional and cognitive problems associated with autism.

The autism-gut link is a contentious concept, but those researchers,

doctors and parents who believe in it agree that the most problematic

foods for autistic people are those that contain the proteins casein –

found in dairy foods – and gluten, which is found in many grains

including wheat, rye, barley and oats, according to Sydney

paediatrician Antony Underwood, who specialises in treating autistic

children.

" Digestive enzymes have a role in the treatment of autism,

particularly the DPP-4 enzyme which breaks down the gluten and

casein, " Dr Underwood says. " This enzyme is thought not to function

in autistic children, hence their difficulties with these foods. " The

incomplete broken down peptides affect the behaviour of the children

by acting as an opioid analogue. " This " opioid excess " theory is

controversial, but many parents have observed that casein and gluten

foods make their children vague, sluggish and " spacey " . Others find

these foods can make their children upset or aggressive. Underwood

says that following a gluten-free, casein-free (GFCF) diet helps

about 70 per cent of autistic people. He argues that the enzymes are

a useful adjunct to such a diet, especially where infractions may

occur or foods may be tainted by traces of casein or gluten, but they

cannot replace the diet.

However, US scientist and enzyme manufacturer Devin Houston, PhD,

says many parents have found that enzymes allow them to take their

children off the diet without triggering side-effects or behavioural

regressions.

" What enzymes are doing is supporting the digestion of foods,

especially proteins, that for some reason cause certain behavioural

problems, " Dr Houston says.

But he cautions that enzymes are not a cure for autism. " The children

who take enzymes are often better, but they are still autistic, "

he says.