Does the gluten free aspie diet really have an affect?

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Smartgirl56
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28 Jun 2011, 9:58 pm

Does the gluten-free cassen-free diet really have an effect. I'm about to be forced to follow it by my mom and have very mild aspergers. I am already sorta eating healthy because of cross country running. I'm not sure if taking out those foods will really have to much of an affect on me.



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28 Jun 2011, 10:00 pm

There seems to be no consistent evidence for the claim, other than anecdotes and testimonials.


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28 Jun 2011, 11:39 pm

Perhaps you should get tested for food allergies/intolerances if you have concerns. I went GF/CF recently, and noticed a huge change all at once...but then I put dairy back in my diet and there was no change. I'm still gluten free, but after a few weeks it became obvious to me that there's no reason for me to continue avoiding dairy if it has no negative effect on my health.

I should also point out that I had some pretty bad health problems as a result of my gluten intolerance. It triggered my hypothyroidism, which caused me to gain weight, made me anemic, and made my cholesterol levels really high. I had no real issues with casein that I know of (though I still generally avoid cheese because it's pretty bad for me anyway).

So while it may have an effect, it's gonna be a biological one before a brain chemistry one, and it may be more of a placebo for your mom than an actual help. If you don't mind needles, maybe you could request a blood test? Even if you don't take a test, if there's no obvious change, point that out. Eating GF/CF is a real pain, especially if you're with friends....



CuriousNotion
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29 Jun 2011, 4:51 pm

Gluten free 'aspie' diet?

Well Im no food expert but apparently Gluten is protein in grain. Apparently however some people have an allergic reaction to it. If you dont though wouldnt it be better to have things in moderation instead of cutting it out of your diet completely?



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03 Jul 2011, 1:07 am

I tried the GF diet once. It had no effect on me.



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04 Jul 2011, 4:56 am

It depends on the aspie. Sometimes gluten or casein intolerance is a factor in the equation for them, sometimes it isn't.


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04 Jul 2011, 10:02 pm

The Gluten-free, Casein-free Diet has been studied and found to have no real benefit. This is from IMFAR, a major conference about autism. It is on (gasp) the Autism Speaks page (search IMFAR).


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05 Jul 2011, 2:36 pm

I just posted in the general discussion forum on this so you can see my post there as well. I found going GFCF to be extremely helpful for my digestion. Before the diet I went between chronic constipation and diarrhea and my doctors never figured it out. My celiac test was one of many that came back negative. It wasn't until I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's (autoimmune thyroid disease) and my son was diagnosed with ASD, that we started GFCF. I later discovered my Asperger's but by then my digestion was back on track thanks to this diet. It is not as hard as it seems. My son is doing so much better since starting this diet a year ago. He is able to talk now and his stimming isn't as bad as it used to be. I lost 30 lbs too and am a normal weight again. Sorry about rambling on about our health dramas, but this diet really changed our lives.


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08 Jul 2011, 6:23 pm

Does it have an effect if you are gluten intolerant? Yes.
Does it have an effect on ASDs? No.

I've had digestive/malabsorption issues and all sorts of deficiencies for many years. Going gluten-free has made me feel 100% physically better. But nothing else has changed. If anything, my ASD symptoms are worse than they were years ago.