New Research Documents Diet Changes Ease Autism Symptoms

[Guest guest]

In this article, I was surprised to read that buckwheat was eliminated in

some of the trials. It is not gluten so I wonder what the reason was. [,

some individuals who showed improvements in brain function showed

deterioration in behavior, as they found it hard to deal with these dramatic

changes.] This is something that we did find out with Evan. He has been put

on Risperdal to help with the deterioration in his behavior. It is helping

some.

Betty

http://www.mercola.com/2001/jun/23/autism_diet.htm

New Research Documents Diet Changes Ease Autism Symptoms

Autism is a neurological disorder that impairs

thinking

feeling

social functioning

It typically appears during the first 3 years of life and can range in

severity and symptoms, from mild to devastatingly severe impairment.

A small study conducted by US-based researchers is providing preliminary

scientific support to the idea that changes in diet can improve symptoms in

some people with autism.

Heredity is thought to play a major role in the disease. Dr. Ted Kniker has

been investigating the theory that poorly degraded food proteins leak from

the gut into the blood, having a drug-like effect that changes brain

activity.

In the first part of his study, Kniker, of the San Autistic

Treatment Center in Texas, found that 5 out of 28 children and adults with

autism showed improvements in their symptoms after elimination of dairy

products and wheat glutens from their diets.

In the second part of the study, the researchers eliminated several other

foods, including buckwheat, soy products, tomato, pork and grapes from the

patients' diets.

Symptoms changed dramatically in 39.3% of patients during the second phase

of the 3-month intervention period. Eight out of 28 patients showed clear

improvements, as measured by a variety of quantitative scoring methods,

including the Autistic Treatment Evaluation Checklist.

Kniker argues that autism is not usually a defect in brain development, but

is more likely to be a brain dysfunction that is secondary to extraneous

factors, such as dietary factors, immune dysfunctions, infections or toxins.

Kniker cautioned that standard behavior management, psychological and

educational approaches to the treatment of autism will still be necessary,

because improvements in cognition and mood can lead to new stresses and

demands on patients.

In Kniker's previous study, some individuals who showed improvements in

brain function showed deterioration in behavior, as they found it hard to

deal with these dramatic changes.

Kniker will present his findings at a meeting in Sicily at the end of June.

Reuters June 13, 2001

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