Re: UCSF enzyme study

[Guest guest]

In reading this, I can see some problems right off:

#1 will the kids who get the enzymes get enough if it's just " sprinkled " over

their food? & nbsp;

#2 assuming they are getting " enough, " whatever that is, they will be starting

out, one would assume, with the full dose instead of the enzyme being introduced

" low and slow " . This makes me wonder about the statement about side effects

being unlikely, especially if the child has intestinal yeast (can you say

" die-off " ?). Especially if the researchers have not seen this before, I have a

feeling either parents who don't know what's happening will pull their kids from

the study from the " side effects " they were told would not happen, causing

problems in daily life, or the researchers will stop the study and claim that

enzymes are " dangerous " or something of the sort, and try to discourage their

use/get thrm banned (competition for drugs to treat symptoms?)

It will be interesting to see what happens.

-- Sent from my Palm Pixi

On Nov 8, 2010 18:44, turnip2eat & lt;csa@... & gt; wrote:

hi everybody--looks like a drug company discovered enzymes...

UCSF autism kids study tests enzyme

Allday, Chronicle Staff Writer

San Francisco Chronicle November 8, 2010 04:00 AM Copyright San Francisco

Chronicle. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast,

rewritten or redistributed. Monday, November 8, 2010

UCSF researchers are kicking off a clinical trial to test whether certain

children with autism can benefit from regular doses of an enzyme to help them

digest proteins, which may in turn improve their brain function and ease some

symptoms of their disease.

It's one of several treatments being explored that could address the root causes

of autism - an incurable set of developmental problems that affects

socialization, language and behavior - instead of just the symptoms of the

disease. But the theory behind the enzyme is controversial, because there is

little solid research demonstrating that the missing enzyme, or digestion

problems in general, is a direct cause of autism.

Some studies have shown that autistic children are more likely than healthy

children to have gastrointestinal problems, and that a certain subgroup of

autistic kids have enzyme deficiencies. But whether those problems cause autism

or are just another symptom of the disease isn't known for sure.

Still, some researchers say that even if there's no clear connection between the

missing enzyme and autism, it's a treatment worth exploring.

" I think every avenue, every potential hypothesis, should be investigated in

autism, " said Dr. Hardan, a pediatric psychiatrist and an autism

researcher at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital who is not involved in the

enzyme trial. " This is one of them, and regardless what the results show, it

will be helpful to look at what they find. "

Curemark

The trial is being paid for by Curemark, the New York-based drug company that

developed the enzyme. UCSF is one of 15 sites around the country participating

in the trial, which will involve 170 children ages 3 to 8. UCSF is planning to

recruit up to 10 children.

The trial is double-blind, meaning that children will be randomly assigned to

receive either the enzyme or a placebo, and the patients, their parents and the

researchers will not know who is getting the treatment and who isn't.

Children will eat the enzyme three times a day - they sprinkle the tasteless

powder over their food - for 90 days. After that time period, parents can opt to

give their children the enzyme for up to a year, whether they were in the

treatment group or the placebo group.

Researchers will use interviews with parents and other behavioral tests to

assess whether there are any changes in the children's symptoms.

" The treatment is enormously simple, but finding it out wasn't simple at all, "

said Joan Fallon, chief executive of Curemark, who is a pediatric chiropractor

who works with autistic children. " Is it theoretical? Yes. But we hope the

trials will give some benefit to a subgroup of children. And we hope our trials

will make other researchers look at the physiology of the disorder. "

Carb heavy

Fallon took an interest in enzyme replacement when she saw that many autistic

children had diets heavy in carbohydrates - french fries and pastas and breads -

but hardly any protein. These kids may avoid protein because they're missing the

enzyme to help them digest it.

That enzyme helps the body break down proteins in a process that produces

certain amino acids, which are important for brain development and communication

between brain cells. So some autistic kids aren't eating enough protein to begin

with, and what protein they do eat isn't being digested properly. The idea is

that those missing amino acids may be a cause of autism.

At least anecdotally, doctors seem to agree that gastrointestinal problems are

common among autistic children. And many parents have reported - again,

anecdotally - that dietary changes help improve symptoms of autism.

So it's possible that giving the enzyme to children who are missing it will help

some autistic kids, doctors say. At the very least, it's worth testing,

especially since the enzyme itself is unlikely to have any side effects, some

researchers say.

" I do think there is a subgroup of kids who have these gastrointestinal symptoms

or some difficulty digesting proteins, who may have that relate somewhat to

autism, " said Dr. Hendren, director of child and adolescent psychiatry at

UCSF. " We're always thinking about what else we can try. What else we can do

that might help these kids. We have a responsibility to leave no stone

unturned. "

Much of the research into treatments for autism is based on anecdotal

evidence, Hardan said. Doctors often hear of reports from parents who try one

trick or another to help ease symptoms in their children, and if something

sounds promising, they'll test the treatment in a scientific study.

" I meet with a lot of parents, and they support our research. But some of them,

they want something this afternoon, not tomorrow, " Hardan said. " And I

understand that, it's very frustrating. But that's science. It takes time. "

What is autism?

Autism, which usually appears before age 3, is one of a group of

developmental problems that generally affect three key areas: social

interaction, language and behavior. While there is no cure, early treatment can

make a difference.

Causes: Autism has no single, known cause and probably has many. These may

include genetic problems that can make a child more susceptible to the disorder

or worsen symptoms. Environmental factors may also contribute.

Symptoms: Children with autism show unique patterns of behavior, but common

symptoms include delayed development, poor eye contact, failure to hear others,

resistance to close contact and unawareness of others' feelings.

Source: Mayo Clinic

E-mail Allday at eallday@....

This article appeared on page A - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?

f=/c/a/2010/11/08/MNLJ1G7T0C.DTL & amp;tsp=1#ixzz14iORFMMg

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