GFCF, Autism, Schizophrenia study - more support for GFCF

June 8, 2001

Autism and Schizophrenia: Intestinal Disorders

Nutritional Neuroscience, An International Journal on Nutrition, Diet

and Nervous System, June 2000, vol. 1, no. 6, pp. 1-16(16)

Cade R.; Privette M.; Fregly M.; Rowland N.; Sun Z.; Zele V.;

Wagemaker H.; Edelstein C. Departments of Medicine, Physiology,

Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

32610-0204, USA

Abstract: We examined Dohan's hypothesis that schizophrenia is

associated with the absorption of " exorphins " contained in gluten and

casein. In addition, because of the work of Reichelt et al.

(Reichelt, K.L., Saelid, G., Lindback, J. and Orbeck, H. (1986)

Biological Psychiatry 21: 1279–1290) and et al. (,

Trav, A.L., Barreiro Marin, P., Galvez, Borrero, I.M., del Olmo

Romero-Nieva, F. and Alvarez, A. (1994) Journal of Nervous and

Mental Disease Aug; 182(8): 478–479), we carried out similar studies

on a group of children with autism. In both syndromes we found similar

patterns of peptide containing peaks (Ninhydrin positive) after

molecular screening with Sephadex G-15.

Immunoglobulin assay of IgA and IgG against gliadin and casein in

serum was done. High titer IgG antibodies to gliadin were found in

87% of autistic and 86% of schizophrenic patients and high titer IgG

antibodies to bovine casein were found in 90% of autistic and in 93%

of schizophrenic patients. High titer IgA antibodies to gluten or

casein were found in 30% of children with autism while in

schizophrenic patients 86% had elevated IgA antibodies to gluten and

67% to casein; some normal children and adults have these antibodies

but only in trace amounts. When schizophrenic patients were treated

with dialysis or a gluten–casein free diet, or both (Cade, R.,

Wagemaker, H., Privette, R.M., Fregly, M., , J. and Orlando, J.

(1990) Psychiatry: A World Prespective 1: 494–500) peptiduria and

Brief Psychiatric Rating Scores fell while abnormal behavior

diminished.

A gluten–casein free diet was accompanied by improvement in 81% of

autistic children within 3 months in most of the behavior

categories. Our data provide support for the proposal that many

patients with schizophrenia or autism suffer due to absorption of

exorphins formed in the intestine from incomplete digestion of gluten

and casein.

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