Re: Gluten elimination-Janice

July 22, 2007

The lectures...from Fair Autism Now?

Janice wrote:

>I originally heard about the test time for the trial of gluten via taped

lectures and videos on GFCF diet. Thus I have no 'written document' to refer

you to.

>

>I thought people might enjoy some GFCF diet success stories that I found here.

There are a lot of stories about kids who were late talkers before trying the

diet: http://www.gfcfdiet.com/Successstories.htm

>

>Here is an internet article http://www.autism.org/leakygut.html on leaky gut

that you may want to look at. They mention a 3 month trial for children under 6

and 6 month trial for children over 6. This article was written by M.

Edelson, Ph.D. I am sure that there is a lot more out there on diet responder

test periods....

>

>'Leaky Gut' and the Gluten- / Casein-Free Diet

>

>Written by M. Edelson, Ph.D.

>Center for the Study of Autism, Salem, Oregon

>

>Another popular intervention for autism is the gluten-/casein-free diet.

Thousands of parents throughout the world have placed their children on this

restricted diet and have observed dramatic improvements. As a result, many

recipes have been published in specialized cook-books, newsletters, and on the

Internet.

>

>Leaky gut.: Many autistic individuals have permeable intestinal tracts, and

this is often referred to as 'leaky gut.' There appears to be many reasons for

the problem of 'leaky gut' in autistic individuals, such as a viral infection

(e.g., measles), yeast infection (i.e., an overgrowth of candida albicans), and

a reduction in phenol sulfur transferase (PST; which lines the intestinal tract

and protects it from leakiness). There is also some speculation that heavy

metals in the intestinal tract can weaken membranes; and this, in turn, can

cause 'leaky gut.'

>

>As far as treating these potential causes of 'leaky gut':

>

> a.. Viral -- There are no drugs that can destroy viruses in the body but

there are anti-viral drugs that can 'slow down' the virus.

> b.. Candida albicans -- Many children have tested positive to candida

albicans overgrowth and have been treated with anti-fungal medications (see

section on candida albicans in this issue).

> c.. Low levels of PST -- Some parents give their children Epson salt baths to

increase levels of PST.

> d.. Children are also receiving metal detoxification procedures to rid their

body of excess heavy metals.

>Gluten and casein. Gluten is a protein and is contained in foods, such as

wheat, barley, rye and oats. Casein is also a protein and is found in dairy

products such as milk, ice cream, cheese and yogurt. In the intestinal tract,

gluten and casein breakdown into peptides; and these peptides then breakdown

into amino acids.

>

>At the present time, we do not know why the gluten-/ casein-free diet helps

many autistic individuals. One popular theory is that when gluten and casein are

broken down into peptides, they may pass through imperfections in the intestinal

tract. These peptides are termed gliadinomorphin (breakdown of the gluten

protein) and casomorphin (breakdown of the casein protein). Both peptides act

like morphine in the body. They can also pass through the blood-brain barrier

and have a negative impact on brain development.

>

>As stated earlier, the most helpful treatment for this problem is to place the

child on a gluten- and/or casein-free diet. When placed on a diet, children,

especially under 5 years of age, should not go 'cold turkey.' That is, if all

gluten/casein food ingredients are suddenly removed from the child's diet, this

could lead to 'withdrawal' symptoms, i.e., a worsening of the condition.

, Ph.D., a parent of an autistic child who is actively involved in

disseminating information on the gluten- and casein-free diet, suggests that

young children under age six years should be placed on a trial diet for three

months to see if there are any improvements; and children who are six years and

older should be placed on a trial diet for six months.

>

>Some people suggest that the health status of the child's intestinal tract

should be examined first; and if there is evidence of a 'leaky gut,' then the

child should be placed on a gluten- and/or casein-free diet. The intestinal

permeability test is one way to determine whether a child has a 'leaky gut.'

This test involves drinking a sweet-tasting solution and then collecting urine

samples afterwards. Most physicians can administer this test. Parents have also

sent their child's urine samples to laboratories to test for the presence of

abnormal peptides associated with gluten and casein in the urine. However, many

people feel that these tests are not necessary and suggest that one should

simply place the child on a restricted diet and then observe whether or not

there are any improvements in the child.

>

>Resources:

>

> a.. Special Diets for Special Kids (1998) by S.

> b.. Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder

(2000) by Karyn Seroussi

> c.. Autism Network for Dietary Intervention (ANDI): www.AutismNDI.com

> d.. Celiac (wheat) and casein (milk protein) sensitivity. Information packet

(P-26, $11.00) distributed by the Autism Research Institute

(www.autismresearchinstitute.com). The and Seroussi books can also be

ordered from ARI.

> [sPAM] [ ] Gluten elimination-Janice

>

> Can you guide me toward any reading on this?

>

July 22, 2007

I originally heard about the test time for the trial of gluten via taped

lectures and videos on GFCF diet. Thus I have no 'written document' to refer

you to.

I thought people might enjoy some GFCF diet success stories that I found here.

There are a lot of stories about kids who were late talkers before trying the

diet: http://www.gfcfdiet.com/Successstories.htm

Here is an internet article http://www.autism.org/leakygut.html on leaky gut

that you may want to look at. They mention a 3 month trial for children under 6

and 6 month trial for children over 6. This article was written by M.

Edelson, Ph.D. I am sure that there is a lot more out there on diet responder

test periods....

'Leaky Gut' and the Gluten- / Casein-Free Diet

Written by M. Edelson, Ph.D.

Center for the Study of Autism, Salem, Oregon

Another popular intervention for autism is the gluten-/casein-free diet.

Thousands of parents throughout the world have placed their children on this

restricted diet and have observed dramatic improvements. As a result, many

recipes have been published in specialized cook-books, newsletters, and on the

Internet.

Leaky gut.: Many autistic individuals have permeable intestinal tracts, and this

is often referred to as 'leaky gut.' There appears to be many reasons for the

problem of 'leaky gut' in autistic individuals, such as a viral infection (e.g.,

measles), yeast infection (i.e., an overgrowth of candida albicans), and a

reduction in phenol sulfur transferase (PST; which lines the intestinal tract

and protects it from leakiness). There is also some speculation that heavy

metals in the intestinal tract can weaken membranes; and this, in turn, can

cause 'leaky gut.'

As far as treating these potential causes of 'leaky gut':

a.. Viral -- There are no drugs that can destroy viruses in the body but there

are anti-viral drugs that can 'slow down' the virus.

b.. Candida albicans -- Many children have tested positive to candida albicans

overgrowth and have been treated with anti-fungal medications (see section on

candida albicans in this issue).

c.. Low levels of PST -- Some parents give their children Epson salt baths to

increase levels of PST.

d.. Children are also receiving metal detoxification procedures to rid their

body of excess heavy metals.

Gluten and casein. Gluten is a protein and is contained in foods, such as wheat,

barley, rye and oats. Casein is also a protein and is found in dairy products

such as milk, ice cream, cheese and yogurt. In the intestinal tract, gluten and

casein breakdown into peptides; and these peptides then breakdown into amino

acids.

At the present time, we do not know why the gluten-/ casein-free diet helps many

autistic individuals. One popular theory is that when gluten and casein are

broken down into peptides, they may pass through imperfections in the intestinal

tract. These peptides are termed gliadinomorphin (breakdown of the gluten

protein) and casomorphin (breakdown of the casein protein). Both peptides act

like morphine in the body. They can also pass through the blood-brain barrier

and have a negative impact on brain development.

As stated earlier, the most helpful treatment for this problem is to place the