gluts and milk

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Hi I am new so I don't know if there is a posting about this topic. To be honest the general autism discussion part is a little to big for me to get an overview on all topics of it.

I was diagnosed that there was a possibility that I might have a form of Autism. A few years ago tried out a diet which eliminates eating glutes and milk. When I ate glutes and milk it had an opiatic effect on me. I want to know if there are people who tried such a diet and have not symptoms of Autism or related such as Aspergers?

I have not tried such a diet so cannot comment usefully on the specific diet you mention.

There are certainly lots of posts here. There is a very useful function that allows you to search though, so perhaps you can see if it has been discussed earlier while you wait for replies (sometimes it can take a while before people the thread is relevant to log in and see it and reply).

The search function link is at the top of the page (above the Wrong planet logo). You can use it to search the WP forums, if there is anything already here on the topic you should be able to find it that way.

My personal belief is that AS is neurological wiring and not chemical in nature, but I do believe that some people with autism/AS may have digestive issues that may make cutting these things out of their diet show fewer negative effects related to autism. There have been several posts about diet change and it's positive or negligible effect on AS, so there does seem to be some people helped by it and others feel no difference. I believe it is not effective because it is not the actual "cause" of AS but a co-morbid condition for some of us . I'm not sure I believe the science behind the "opiate theory" but if it has some positive effect for whatever reason then it is worth trying if the diet change doesn't drive you nuts and you can afford it . It's not an easy diet to follow though, there seems to be milk and glut hidden in more foods then milk and bread so you need to watch you labels very carefully and find all the "secret names" food makers like to use on labels.

What are "glutes"?

Its not a word I'm familiar with except as a nick name for a set of muscles found in one's rear end/sit upon/butt.

Thank you, Macushla! I was thinking the exact same thing but felt too bashful to ask!

Think it's something natural found in wheat grain and some other grains(sorry, but I don't know the word in english). I unterstood the word, cause in norwegian we say gluten. Some people recact to this and milk especial people with digestion deseases.

I believe the OP is referring to gluten found in wheat and other grains . The theory is that some autistics do not break it down correctly and it ferments in the gut causing a similar reaction as someone who consumed opiates, which seems a bit dd as fermentation is usually connected to alcohol and When I drank alcohol I became very much less aspie....emotional, lack of focus and drive, more social, less anxiety ....Not sure how they believe it creates an opiate effect .

Uh, that's fermentation. This is a form of incomplete metabolism, it's different. And it's not really a theory, it's a known digestive problem, it's just that it's not as connected with autism as some would have you think.

As krex said before I mean with glute(s)(n) some protein found in wheat and other grains. I heard that there was a lot of study on gluten and milk in combination with autism. Also a lot is being referred to on the internet on experiments with it. That was why I thought I did not needed to mention what it is.

The idea about gluten and autism is that some people don't make enough enzymes to fully digest gluten. When digesting gluten a product is created Gliadorphin which is a morphine like substance. Normally Gliadorphin is broken down into smaller parts which are not harmfull. If the body doesn't produce enough enzymes to digest Gliadorphin it can go to the brain. It then disrupts the way the temporal lobes of the brain should work.

Some people in my family don't create enough enzymes to fully digest food normally.

My son (toddler) has autism and we have tried the diet. Generally people use a GFCF diet (gluten free casein free) but we were unable to remove the casein or milk. We saw a dramatic improvement in his mood and interaction with others but the diet coincided with an increase in services he receives.

We dropped the diet in November with an intent to begin again in January or February as an experiment to see how much the diet changed things. He is now having worse symptoms. We have received feedback from one of his teachers that did not know about the diet change about his regression. We have also seen signs of other digestive problems coinciding with the diet change so he may not be a standard case.

I agree with the earlier post that it is very difficult to avoid the hidden gluten and casein in many products.

BoringAl what do you mean with "the diet coincided with an increase in services he receives"? Do you mean he got extra help from other people?

It is difficult to have a gluten free and milk free diet. If your son gets Gliadorphin in his brain it would probably cause effects where the situation looks worse when you stop the diet then before you began. His body was getting used to getting milk and gluten. When you stop the diet the body thinks it will get back to the diet eventually. It is normal when stopping such a diet to get digestive problems. People are advised to eat gluten because they can give you better bowel movement if your are not intolerant or allergic to them. The body is adjusting to the new situation.

I don't know in what degree he has autism. It could be that he is only showing signs of autism. I don't know if he also has physical problems such as eczema, asthma and muscle spasms. There have been reports that people who have autism symptomes are functioning normally when not eating gluten and milk. It can also be that he has autism and the digestive problems with gluten and milk. Although it is difficult to also have your son a milk free diet it is worthwile to do it if he reacts positivly to a glutenfree diet.

Another cause of the positive effects is that your son can have a gluten allergy (celiac disease). When the gluten are broken down in other products by enzymes it can be that the immune systems sees those products as intruders and tries to send armies of antibodies which fight the gluten harming the intestines, because it is the place they would normally be. I heard from people who have celiac disease that they get the same symptomes everytime. It doesn't matter if you are on a diet or not. Which does not mean that you don't have to get on a gluten free diet when you have celiac disease, because it destroys the intestines. It is easy to test if someone has celiac disease because you can do the test anytime you like by testing blood in a lab.

It has shown that when you have problems where Gliadorphin gets in the brain almost a 100 percent those people have problems digesting milk and almost always have problems such as a stomach breach or related problems. A Stomach breach is when the valve between your stomach is not shutting properly. In my case my valve doesn't close good enough between my stomach and my esophagus. It doesn't mean that when you have a stomach breach you alway's have other problems.

You might find this article interesting.

http://www.littlecanaries.org/enzymes.htm

The most difficult thing about the information about these diets is that many are promoted by individuals/companies that want to sell people something expensive . My science teacher said to allows check who funds the research and DAN has done a lot of this research. I know this is no different then other pharmalogical companies funding research and developing and promoting their drugs...research is expensive and they want to get paid back for the investment . I'm just saying...it isn't bad to be sceptical about some of the things you will read from people selling you something .

I have considered this diet but long before I learned about AS, I did go on the Atkins Diet because my sister wanted to try it and I ate no grains for several months and noticed no change in my over all mood, behavior or cognition. I think I may have still eaten a little butter and cheese, (I really don't like most milk products), so that may have been a factor in lack of any noticeable change but I have never had problems with IBS and cheese or butter but always do when drinking milk .


Rather then changing diets and further causing autistics to feel different from their peers(what, no pizza!!), I hope they develop an enzyme that allows them to digest these proteins...I know they are working on it but I probably wont be able to afford it and screwed up insurance laws often exclude coverage of anything "autism related" <----that is something that needs to change .

Ohhh, GLUTEN! Thank you very much, Mosez!

One of the cool thing about those with Aspergers is that they are high functioning enough to try things out on themselves and report back. I do not think that diet can CAUSE any form of autism, but I do believe after reading literally hundreds of posts on this subject that diet issues CAN make the symptoms far worse. Gluten, more than casein, seems to affect individuals on the spectrum negatively, and I've also known some to have problems with soy. To me, eliminating diet elements and seeing how it affects someone is something worth a try; the only downside is in cost and effort, there isn't any medical risk. Many people on the spectrum report that changing their diets helped clear their mind. It doesn't help everyone, but it helps enough.

I was on a gluten-free diet for years as a child. There was no difference.

Eliminating gluten or milk is something that anyone who has a problem digesting them would do. It is not specifically related to autism. I didn't benefit from a gluten-free diet simply because I don't have problems digesting gluten.

Celiac disease requires eliminating gluten; eating it causes damage to the small intestine. Many people are lactose intolerant and cannot digest milk. Some people with irritable-bowel type problems do better if they do not eat some specific substance, which can be wheat or milk, but is often something else. Meat, especially red meat, is particularly hard to digest; some people can't handle high-fat foods; others have problems with raw food. You can be allergic to things in your food, too.

The connection to autism is that if you have autism, you probably have some oddity in how you filter sensory input--including the sensory input coming from your digestive system. Something that might be a minor annoyance to a typical person could become overwhelming to an autistic one. In the case of an autistic person with a food intolerance, IBS, celiac disease, or an allergy, changing the diet to eliminate the offending substance can really lower the stress level. Essentially, if this is your problem, then changing your diet means you become a healthier autistic person, not a non-autistic person.

Most autistic people do not have digestive problems; but those who do might benefit from consulting a nutritionist and finding out whether there might be some food that their bodies are not handling efficiently.

Beware when restricting your diet. It is well-known that people on diets that eliminate one or more staple foods are at high risk for nutrient deficiency and the resulting damage to body and mind. The more restrictive, the more dangerous. Find a professional who can help you determine whether it is necessary to re-balance your diet.

I am on Gluten free, dairy free diet. It improved me moods greats. They think I have celiac, but it may not be related to autism.

I have read links that peple with autism MAY have celiac because theere are some autisms that they think might be auto immune related like celiac is.

So while it may help certain kinds of autism, it may not help others.

It's confufing. Till more research is out, no one really knows.

And yes, please be careful t o get enough vitamins and calclium. Be sure to be under a Dr;s supervision .