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Facts on Casein-Free and Gluten Free Diets
Many parents of children with autism
have reported that a gluten-free casein-free diet helps
their children. According to the theory, some children
are unable to digest the protein in many cereals
(gluten) or in milk (casein)
completely.
Theory
The molecular structure
of the partially undigested proteins, known as peptides,
resemble opiates. It is thought that such peptides have
an effect much like opiates in the brain and nervous
system. From this premise it follows that long term
exposure to these opiate peptides can have many damaging
effects on the developing brain and also affects
behavior, just as any narcotic would.
The opioid
peptides involved are identified as casomorphines from
casein, and gluten exorphines and gliadorphin from
gluten.
Reported effects
Many parents
report that removing casein and gluten from their
child's diet increases eye contact, attention span, and
general mood while decreasing problems like tantrums,
self-stimulatory behavior (such as hand-flapping and
rocking) and aggression. Many find that providing a diet
free of casein and gluten aids children in successfully
learning daily living skills like dressing, using the
toilet as well as improving coordination and imaginative
play activities. In a small number of cases, such
dietary changes have resulted in dramatic improvements,
enabling the child to attend mainstream educational
programs in a matter of months.
Practical
implementation
Beginning the diet can be
difficult but not impossible. Gluten is most commonly
found in wheat, rye, and barley and may sometimes
contaminate oats grown nearby or processed on the same
equipment as gluten-containing cereals, and casein is
found in dairy products; wheat and dairy frequently make
up a large proportion of the Western diet. One of the
biggest obstacles parents face is that individuals
needing gluten-free, casein-free (GFCF) diets often
crave these foods much the same as an addict. In fact,
parents often report withdrawal symptoms when gluten and
casein are eliminated that are similar to addicts
experiencing withdrawal from narcotic drugs.
Many
parents worry about removing wheat and dairy because
these foods are the only ones their child will eat, and
because prevailing attitudes in Western culture consider
them an essential staple. However, children who eat only
or mostly wheat and dairy products often show remarkable
improvement once a GFCF diet is underway. Many families
have found from experience that their children's menu
options actually increase after the effects of eating
gluten and casein have subsided.
Some people
experience immediate improvement although it may take as
long as six months for gluten to clear out of the system
and one month for casein to clear. Advocates of the diet
recommend trying it for at least a year as it can take
this long for some children to show improvement. The
diet affects changes in the body at a cellular level and
promotes healing of the stomach and intestinal lining,
both of which can take time.
Although this diet has
been questioned by the medical community, many doctors
and university research centers are advocating the use
of this intervention for autistic children, especially
after seeing results first-hand. Doctors who work with
DAN! (Defeat Autism Now) are supportive of interventions
such as the GFCF diet.
Prevalence
Although
food sensitivities have been known about for decades they
are rarely given consideration in diagnosis, therapy and
recovery efforts. The specifics of the GFCF diet were
introduced to the general public through the combined
publications of two women who researched interventions
and crusaded for autism recovery. Information about the
GFCF diet has since spread around the world and has
helped thousands of families cope with this puzzling
disorder.
The GFCF diet has been supplemented with a
number of new innovations. These include incorporation
of the Feingold diet, the Specific Carbohydrate Diet,
diets with reduced salicylates and phenols,
etc.
There are as yet few studies that prove or
disprove the GFCF diet or other diets, but there is
growing acceptance in the medical community that
restrictive diets affect pediatric and adolescent
behavior.
Other indications
Those suffering
from celiac disease and/or dermatitis herpetiformis are
instructed to avoid all forms of gluten, though their
metabolic disorders are different from those with
autism. There are anecdotal reports of this diet also
being beneficial to sufferers of multiple sclerosis,
schizophrenia, Tourette syndrome, chronic fatigue
syndrome and attention deficit disorder. However, in
some of these cases (e.g.; Tourette syndrome), there is
no evidence that a gluten-free diet has any impact upon
symptoms.
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