Overglut of Gluten-free?
December 4, 2008 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
Gluten-free diets are now being used to address conditions ranging from autism to ADHD. As noted in this week’s Newsweek, those with allergies and pregnant women are also saying they feel better on what’s come to be known in autism circles as “the special diet” or “the diet.” (Go here, here, and here to read some of our experiences with “the diet”; Charlie now eats wheat, though not dairy.) Is gluten-free the new hope, or is it more dietary hype, with Americans spending $2 billion a year on gluten-free products?
I was on the Atkins diet for a long time, and I lost weight and felt great. On that “special diet,” you can have casein but not gluten. There are a million reasons why this kind of diet makes you feel good (your blood sugar is stabilized, for one thing), but I still don’t see how it has anything to do with autism or ADHD. I guess I’ll have to read the Newsweek article.
I think one of the effects that these diets (not just GFCF but really any diet) have is that they make you aware of what you’re putting in your body and it’s empowering to know that you’re making good choices for yourself. It gives you a sense that you’re in control. Also, being on a diet that promotes healthy food choices means that you’re eating less processed foods and you’re body has to actually do the job it was designed for. Suddenly you’re bowel habits regulate, you’re losing weight, you have more energy, etc.etc.
So is it the absence of gluten/casein that’s making you feel better or the fact that overall you’re just eating healthier with all the benefits that that brings? For some people (those with celiac’s disease, etc.) yes, removing certain foods from their diets makes a difference. But I think for the majority it’s more of a placebo effect. We know we should feel healthier so we do.
Hello friends –
There are at least four clinical studies showing that children with autism generate increased immune responses to the dietary proteins in gluten/casein than their non diagnosed peers. Is it so surprizing that behavioral changes are noted by the parents?
- pD
For a few medical concerns I have, I’ve been researching some ways to help alleviate symptoms without medications and every time, the GF diet (not the CF so much) pops up, along with cutting out sugar and caffeine. I’ve read that there’s something our bodies (especially women over a certain age?) cannot digest well when it comes to gluten, causing a variety of problems. Another diet or food restriction that keeps coming up for my health issues is the candida diet, which I know is also popular in the diet/autism world.
I can’t help but think that cutting out gluten and following a candida diet simply forces you to eat very natural foods that don’t contain a lot of chemicals, preservatives, dyes etc. and that alone has to be good for anyone.
LBC: You mentioned the GFCF diet helps stabilize blood sugar – can you elaborate on that? My daughter has very big challenges with this and we haven’t found a good way yet to keep her stable on an on-going basis. We did do the GFCF diet for about seven months because we suspected the autism and she had GI issues, but it didn’t clear up the GI issues (or the autism, obviously), so we stopped. However, now that I think about it, I don’t think we had a single hypoglycemic episode either. I would love to learn more about what you’ve said here!
If it helps keep me in a cheap supply of GF Pretzels (Glutino has some damn fine ones BTW) have with I say to everyone!
I’m a Dad with a gluten sensitivity, kids [thankfully] without [at this point]. But they still mostly eat GF at home because it’s easier that way for me. Once upon a time we were a family of 3 meals. The one I could eat, the one the ASD son would eat (some texture and ‘mixing’ issues), and one for the rest. We’ve now down to only 2 variations at most, and even those situations are waning, partially because we just don’t bother with soup at all. Thanks to my wife for finally biting the bullet and agreeing to clear the pantry and restock [nearly] totally GF.
P.S. Oh, and yes it sucks when I go out with the wife or the family and I’ve got to watch everyone else eat what they want while I’ve got one or two possible choices on the menu, and even when thus limited it’s a hassle and a crapshoot if it’s a restaurant we don’t know or there are special instructions to give. :p
It’s gotten better over the years but it still a tender spot that wears raw some days.
Dr. Michael Fitzpatrick writes on Spiked about the “unorthodox biomedical movement in autism.
AIEEE! Purporting that something that puts you in a “state of ‘ketosis’” is “largely safe”? Ketogenic diets risk kidney stones and a degree of bone de-mineralization via acidosis (the later is actually the primary root cause of the kidney stones).
If you end up on a strict ketogenic diet as a supplemental treatment for seizures you do it under the direct supervision of a nutritionist and only for a finite period of time. Especially for children in no small part because it’s tricky to get ride the edge between getting your body to primarily burn fat and allowing normal growth/development.
Am I sensing that this subject is being presented as some kind of fad diet? If so, I can hardly believe the finger is still being wagged. No one is saying it’s a cure. But two things I know from our over a decade experience with this diet. Number one, Noah’s digestive system is way less stressed, reducing tantrumming due to sheer physical discomfort. And, number two (no pun intended), he automatically has a healthy balanced diet with more fruits and vegetables. The main insult regarding gluten is the long-chain proteins that are only able to be partially digested in some individuals. These undigested proteins have been shown to chemically interfere with the chemistry of some brain functioning.
My son has the best diet of anyone I know. And he is not supposed to eat any dairy, soy, gluten, potatoes, peanuts, yeast and legumes. Anything I can do to make him more comfortable and therefore allow him the best chance to be ready to concentrate and learn, I’m willing to do. E-mail me if you want to know how we do it.
When there really is a reason for going gluten-free, such as celiac disease, it is very important.
The autistic self-advocate Patty Clark, former Recording Secretary of the Greater Georgia chapter of the Autism Society of America, lived with celiac disease that went undiagnosed for many years. Though other unrelated medical problems beset her, going GF made all the difference in the world for her. As a member of the planning committee for Autreat, the annual conference/retreat of Autism Network International, Patty took on the task of ensuring that the menus had adequate options for people on GF/CF diets.
FWIW, my first cousin (who is about the most non-autistic member of my family) also has celiac disease. There’s overlap, but it’s neither the case that all people with celiac disease are autistic, nor that all autistic people have celiac disease or other gluten-related GI problems.
I used to swear by the diet and watch every crumb that went into his mouth, and worry when he had a “dietary indiscretion.” He tested positive for gluten antibodies when he was 2 and, at that time, we were in a “try any and everything mode.” So we did and eliminating milk and wheat (which we did at the same time) from his diet seemed to be helpful. Over the years, the diet seemed to prohibit him, more and more, from joining in many social activities. We’ve reintroduced gluten; dairy doesn’t seem to have the best effects on him, so we still avoid that (and that’s not very hard today, with so many products available).
More than a few friends have said they were trying the diet or that celiac disease was suspected. Some of them have tried the diet but it has not turned out to be the reason for any health issues for any.
I feel better since I have totally cut out sugar and caffeine and excessive fats. I am not healed from my problems but it does seem to help a bit. So, I imagine for some people the gluten free may make a difference for the better. We tried it for M numerous times with no changes. Maybe when she is older she will be able to try again and recognize if there are benefits. I don’t think though that Gluten free is a cure and I hate it when people act as if it will be. I also get frustrated when people assume that M has her difficulties due to her diet alone. I find that infuriating.
I found out about my gluten sensitivity (celiac blood test negative but I’ve never bothered with the much more accurate endoscopy biopsy) serendipitously. I was working on the road a lot and because of where and the hours I was keeping for connivence my diet ended up consisting almost solely of fruits and veggies, and occasionally nuts, for up to weeks at a time.
I’d feel great. Then I’d come home and start feeling crappy. I put it together that it was something about the food. So I started trying to figure out what it was by slow introduction. Presto. I also did a holistic “cleanse” as part of this and got a very interesting result. About 5-6 days in I got an that tingling sensation you get when a wound is healing, but inside my abdomen. Apparently I hadn’t been treating my intestines so well. :/
Now if I had been also having a tough time in other areas, say I was having huge struggles with basic communication and interaction with the world around me or my senses were easily overwhelmed, I could completely understand a compounding of symptoms. And I had it very, very mild compared to most people who end up diagnosed Celiac. I don’t tend to immediately feel the results of missing a “few crumbs” but it can be that bad for many of them. For those eating at restaurants is risk because things like premixed spices can contain “off label” gluten contaminates or even contamination in the preparation area or cooking surface will mess them up.
Celiac isn’t about those Exorphin B5 peptides that it has be hypothesized cause problems with autistic people. It is a garden variety allergic reaction. The main problem is that the immune systems reaction swells up/destroys the small intestine silia so the ability to absorb nutrients is greatly reduced. Whatever is happening in my case, ultimately the result is same. I lose approximately 1/3 of my ability to absorb (measured based on medication dosage required). This happens immediately if I make a gross violation (an entire saltine cracker would be bad) but also slowly over time if I cheat a “little” with things that only are slightly contaminated.
P.S. I also had problems after going GF with cow’s milk and related products, especially cheese. Goat’s and sheep’s was fine. Those are similar to cow’s but the mix of casein varieties and some of the other components are different. It didn’t appear to be the types of symptoms associated with lactose intolerance. But over time I’ve been able to resume eating very small quantities (under 10g of cheese) without an issue. I’ve been leery of trying a more aggressive amount. Not sure exactly what was going on there, if I’d accidentally snuffed out part of my digestive system’s ability to deal with cow’s milk? *shrug*
Celiacs observing strict GF is important for more than avoiding short term malabsorption. Celiacs also have a much higher rate of intestinal cancer. It is surmised this is because of the constant damage from the allergic reaction. After 5 years of totally GF diet their risk for cancer drops to normal population rates.
BTW Celiac Disease symptoms can include seizures, LD, and behavior problems in children. So it’s theoretically possible that a small number of the cases could initially get misdiagnosed ASD. It’s typically hard to diagnose CD just from the symptoms that present (if any obvious ones do). My mom’s second cousin biggest symptom was really bad migraines, though there was other stuff. It took her over a year to get the right diagnosis. Switching to a GF diet most of these symptoms go away very quickly. I’ve never heard of a specific study on the potential prevalence of such a misdiagnosis though.
P.S. It can also cause arthritis and other stuff like that as the freaked out immune system starts turning on other parts of the body.
@Tyler, thanks for all the info—–certainly it’s possible to have a varied diet without gluten.
We were keeping our daughter off of lots of foods and just had her tested and food allergies and celiac were both negative she did show to be lactose intolerant so we keep her away from Dairy still. We did find that her igg and iga were low and have to pursue what that might be from but for the most part I think that the autism and diet are not related other than she can not tell us she feels sick so she acts out.