Article: Probiotic Trial in Autism

[Guest guest]

http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=1308572006

Probiotic bacteria given to autistic children improved their

concentration and behaviour so much that medical trials collapsed

because

parents refused to accept placebos, a scientist revealed yesterday.

The effect of the bacteria was so pronounced that some of the parents

taking part in what was supposed to be a blind trial realised their

children

were taking something other than a placebo.

A number then refused to give their children the placebo when they

were due to switch, resulting in the collapse of the trial.

Glenn Gibson, a microbiologist who ran the study of 40 autistic

children aged between four and eight, said this meant it was

difficult to

draw any firm conclusions and he is planning to carry out further

research.

However, he said parents had told him the probiotic bacteria was

having a beneficial effect, resulting in " better concentration and

better

behaviour " .

One parent said it was " heartbreaking " to have to stop their child

taking it.

" It was really challenging for us and the parents. I'd really like to

go back to it and do it in a better way, with perhaps more

professional help

from people who know how to deal with autistic children, " said Prof

Gibson.

" The trial ultimately failed because of the large number of drop-

outs.

About half the kids dropped out. Some of the parents worked out

their child

was on the test and didn't want to move on to the placebo. "

Autistic children often suffer bowel conditions and Prof Gibson said

a

previous study had found high levels of a " bad " bacteria called

clostridia

in the gut.

The probiotic was then designed to reduce the levels of clostridia

and

promote " friendly " bacteria instead to see what effect this would

have.

Prof Gibson, from Reading University, said the children appeared to

show fewer signs of autism when taking the probiotic supplement,

which was

given in a powder once a day.

" Very subjectively, we asked the parents to fill in diaries about the

mood of the children. We got very positive feedback generally, " he

said.

He said that certain kinds of clostridia produced neuro- toxins,

which

potentially could be the cause of autism or a contributory factor.

However, he said this was speculation and the apparent improvement

could also simply be because the children had felt better.

" If your gut is not behaving yourself, you feel rough, " Prof Gibson

said.

The first bacteria in the gut is received from the mother during

birth

and then comes from the outside environment, with diet playing an

important

role.

" They [infants] may be under medication for an infection and that may

have an effect, " Prof Gibson said.

" There are all sorts of different factors that may affect that [the

bacterial make-up of the gut]. "

There was a scare over widely discredited claims that autism was

linked to the MMR - measles, mumps and rubella - vaccine given to

children.

Asked whether he thought childhood vaccines could have an effect,

Prof

Gibson said: " No. I don't think there is anything in this MMR

business at

all. "

It is estimated that 535,000 people in the UK have some kind of

autism, including a milder form called Asperger's Syndrome.

The condition affects four times as many boys as girls for reasons

that are not clearly understood.

A spokeswoman for the National Autistic Society (NAS), the UK's

leading charity for people with the condition and their families,

said it

followed new research into possible treatments with great interest.

She went on: " There is anecdotal evidence that certain vitamins and

diets do have benefits for some people with autism. However, a great

deal

more research remains to be done in this area.

" The NAS looks forward to seeing the results of the further research

that Professor Gibson hopes to conduct in the future. "

She said that " rigorous scientific evaluation " was necessary to gauge

the effects of any new treatment.

A whole range of therapies had been tried in the past, from

medication

and behavioural therapy to aromatherapy and swimming with dolphins,

with

varying degrees of success.