Autism Treatment: Diet

Some physicians involved with natural medicine believe that autism spectrum disorder, as well as many other illnesses, are caused by genetic defects in the body that interfere with the metabolism of certain nutrients. For example, there is some evidence that children with autism spectrum disorder may have trouble metabolizing vitamin B6.¹⁸ Based on this theory, various supplements have been advocated for the treatment of autism.

Additionally, it has been suggested that food additives, food allergies, or other dietary factors may play a role in autism spectrum disorder, but meaningful supporting evidence for this theory has not been presented. One very small, but well-designed study failed to find benefit through eliminating gluten and casein from the diet.¹⁹ The study followed a double-blind design; interestingly, parents generally thought they saw improvement, but perceived improvements were equally divided between the treatment group and the placebo group. And a 2008 review of all published randomized trials on the subject found no convincing evidence that the elimination of gluten and/or casein from the diet of autistic children lead to any significant improvement.²⁰

• Autism and Vitamin C
• Autism and Vitamin B6 and Magnesium
• Autism and Multivitamin
• Autism and L-Carnosine
• Autism and The Gluten Free Casein Free Diet (GFCF)
• Autism and GAPS Diet

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that neutralizes damaging natural substances called free radicals. It works in water, both inside and outside of cells. Vitamin C complements another antioxidant...

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It has been suggested that combining magnesium with vitamin B6 could offer additional benefits, such as reducing side effects or allowing a reduced dose of the vitamin.

Read more about Autism and Vitamin B6 and Magnesium.

There is no doubt that it's important to get enough of all necessary nutrients. However, the process of determining proper daily intake levels for vitamins and minerals is far from an exact science...

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L-Carnosine is a substance manufactured in the human body, made by combining the amino acids alanine and histidine. The highest levels of carnosine are found in the brain and nervous system, the lens...

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Gluten and Casein are proteins. Gluten is found in wheat, rye, barley, and oats. Casein is found in milk, cheese, and other dairy products.

People with autism have been reported to have...

Read more about Autism and The Gluten Free Casein Free Diet (GFCF).

According to the clinical observations of Natasha Campbell-McBride, founder of the [GAPS diet][1], restoring the gut flora and removing inflammatory foods from the diet can improve the symptoms of...

Read more about Autism and GAPS Diet.

18. Adams JB, Holloway C. Pilot study of a moderate dose multivitamin/mineral supplement for children with autistic spectrum disorder. J Altern Complement Med. 2005;10:1033-9.

19. Elder JH, Shankar M, Shuster J et al. The Gluten-Free, Casein-Free Diet In Autism: Results of A Preliminary Double Blind Clinical Trial. J Autism Dev Disord. 2006 Mar 23 [Epub ahead of print].

20. Millward C, Ferriter M, Calver S, Connell-Jones G. Gluten- and casein-free diets for autistic spectrum disorder. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2008;(2):CD003498.