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If you can believe the many testimonials posted on the Web, a diet free of gluten and casein is a miracle treatment for autism. Parents of children suffering from the disorder, which is characterized by impaired social and communication skills, fervently describe astounding improvements that occurred as soon as they removed gluten (a mixture of plant proteins found in wheat, rye and barley) and casein (the main protein in dairy products) from their kids' meals. Surveys indicate that as many as 40 percent of children with autism have been placed on special diets at one time or another. This enthusiasm is grounded more in hope than in science; so far researchers have no good evidence that dietary interventions can alleviate the symptoms of autism. Recently, however, investigators have launched the first rigorous tests of the diets, and the results may be available within a year.
The assumption behind the diets is that people with autism often have gastrointestinal abnormalities that allow unusual amounts of digestive by-products into the body (the so-called leaky gut syndrome). The by-products of gluten and casein, according to one hypothesis, disrupt brain function by altering opioid activity, which is involved in pain regulation and social bonding. Another theory posits that the gut leakage triggers a harmful immune response. These hypotheses are far from rock-solid; in fact, scientists have not even confirmed that people with autism have a higher-than-normal incidence of gastrointestinal problems. But the causes of autism are so poorly understood and the disorder is so variable that some investigators are willing to consider the possibility that gluten and casein may somehow exacerbate symptoms in some children, perhaps just by producing intestinal discomfort.