The Autism News

The Autism News | English

By Alison Rose Levy | Huffington Post

There’s an experiment going on right now–but it isn’t being conducted by scientists. It’s being conducted by parents. In 30 million kitchens across the U.S. that experiment is called “What Can My Child Eat?” In families with children with autism and allergies, the result of that experiment can either be a day of relative calm and comfort, or it can produce anything from brain fog, digestive discomfort, and mood swings, to pain, seizures, skin outbreaks, and severe digestive distress.

While the debate continues as to whether or not laboratory scientists have successfully isolated a single one of the many factors that a growing numnber of doctors say may contribute to autism, families still have to cope and they still have to feed their children. Citing the conservative statistics of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) pediatrician, Dr. Kenneth Bock, reported that one in 100 children (one in 48 boys) have autism–although just two years ago it was one in 150. One in 16 children has ADHD, one in 11 has asthma, and one in four has allergies. A staggering one third of all children are affected Bock told the group gathered for “Food Solutions: Managing Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies,” held at New York’s Urban Zen Center.

Children (and adults) with allergies (and food sensitivities) react to many common foods and food ingredients that other people don’t react to. As doctors like Bock tell it, a child with autism is by definition a child with an overwhelmed immune system, an impaired gut, a higher presence of microbes, candida, and toxins, and many food sensitivities and intolerances. Gut issues are directly linked to issues with attention and focus, so that a child with food sensitivities will also likely be a child who experiences symptoms anywhere from the withdrawal or lack of speech seen in autism to the brain fog, hyperactivity, and/or difficulty in focus seen in children with attention deficit disorder (ADD).

According to Stephen Cowan, MD, a pediatrician in Westchester, N.Y., who also spoke at Food Solutions, “The gut and the brain are not two separate things. They are interconnected.”

Referring to “leaky gut” a condition common in the so-called “spectrum” kids, in which an impaired barrier of cells lining the intestines allow poorly digested food molecules to enter the bloodstream where they can trigger allergic and other reactions. Cowan said that “a leaky gut is like a leaky mind, you can’t digest things and you can’t retain things that you need to retain.”

When parents bring their children into his office for a consultation, Cowan reports that “I can often predict that the child’s favorite foods are pizza and macaroni and cheese”– and these are the same foods that children are most allergic to. According to Bock, gluten, the main protein contained in wheat and other grains, can trigger immune reactions, while casein, a peptide in dairy can break down internally to produce an opioid effect — such that children are literally drugged by food.

That’s why the mainstay of parents trying to nourish their immune-challenged children is the Gluten Free Casein Free Diet (GFCF) as well as the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD).

Glucose, present in high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is yet another no-no since it can feed yeast (which worsens gut issues) and contribute to mood swings due to the abrupt rise and fall of glucose in the bloodstream. Moreover, mercury is used to make HFCS which is present in many processed foods, including sodas, juices, yogurt, and ketchup. While some studies question whether mercury in vaccines is a key trigger for autism, according to Bock, “a range of environmental factors contribute, Studies correlated closer proximity to power plants with mercury emissions with increasing rates of autism.” HFCS is also addictive, and aggressively marketed by food and beverage companies, who according to Cowan, spend $10 billion a year.

In this nationwide lab experiment in which food suppliers push unhealthy food items, while the public naively believes that government regulators protect them, “we’re lab rats,” Cowan points out. “Studies show that when you try HFCS, you can’t get enough of it, you want more and more and more. It releases chemicals, it’s just like you pressed a button.” Yet instead of acting on a national level to curb unhealthy foods, “we blame the victim,” says Cowan.

All too often the victims are children.

Transitioning children from harmful foods to which they’re addicted to healthier ones is a challenge borne by parents. That’s why at Food Solutions, dietician Amanda Archibald and nutritionist Stefanie Sacks introduced a range of healthier options. Although healthy vegetables topped the list, the nutritional team also offered samples of favorite products (rice milk and a dairy and wheat free Mac and Cheese) so parents know what to look for. Simple recipes that participants teamed up to prepare offered easy and nourishing ways to ease food transitions.

The bottom line said Cowan is that force feeding children is counter-productive. “If you want your child to eat more vegetables, let him see you eating them.”

What’s your experience transitioning yourself or your kids to healthier foods?

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alison-rose-levy/autism-and-allergies-what_b_494607.html

Autism Recipes | Free recipes for children and adults on the autism spectrum

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The Autism News | English

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

By  Press Release

SALT LAKE CITY – Three University of Utah Department of Psychiatry researchers are part of an international team of scientists that has identified a novel region of the human genome that may confer susceptibility to autism.

Using genome information from more than 1,000 families with multiple affected individuals, including more than 150 Utah families, the researchers discovered a region on chromosome 5 that was significantly associated with autism. Their finding highlights the importance of genetic variation in the development of autism, according to a study published Oct. 8, 2009, in Nature.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that leads to impaired social interaction, challenges with communication, repetitive behaviors, and restricted interests. Although autism is a heritable disorder with more than 90 percent heritability by twin and family studies, attempts to identify genes that increase susceptibility to autism have met with limited success.

“Autism and other autism spectrum disorders are complex diseases,” says William M. McMahon, M.D., professor and chairman of psychiatry at the University of Utah School of Medicine and a contributor to the study. “While previous research and familial studies have suggested that there are strong genetic components that predispose to autism, this study adds to accumulating evidence that multiple rare mutations, rather than a single mutation, contribute to autistic susceptibility.”

The scientists first studied 1,031 families, with a total of 1,553 children affected with autism, from the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange and U.S. National Institutes of Mental Health repositories. They discovered that variations in a region on chromosome 5 near a gene called semaphorin 5A ( SEMA5A ) were linked to the development of autism. SEMA5A is a gene that is thought to be involved in axonal guidance, the process by which nerve cells send out fibers to conduct electrical impulses.

“Earlier studies have shown that the expression of SEMA5A is lower in the peripheral blood of individuals with autism,” says Hilary Coon, Ph.D., also a co-author on the study and U of U professor of psychiatry. “It is reasonable to think that disruptions in genes involved in how axons in the brain find their correct targets might contribute to autism susceptibility, and this study provides additional evidence implicating SEMA5A.”
To confirm their findings, the researchers performed replication studies using data from the Autism Consortium, Autism Genome Project, and other autism family samples from around the world and Utah. They also compared brain bank tissue from 20 persons with autism to tissue from controls and found that expression of the SEMA5A gene was significantly lower in the brains of those with autism.

“It is worth noting that the genomewide significance of this region on chromosome 5 was only found when the results from the initial large set of families and the replication families were pooled in a meta-analysis,” says Coon. “Nevertheless, SEMA5A is an interesting candidate gene for autism susceptibility because it codes for a protein that is both attractive and inhibitory for developing neurons.”

The study authors also suggest that, based on their findings, there are likely to be multiple rare mutations leading to autism susceptibility and, even when the same gene may be involved in susceptibility across multiple people, there are likely to be differences in the exact mutations from one person to the next. In fact, additional evidence from this study suggests that common genetic variation with moderate to strong effects on the clinical manifestations of autism is unlikely to be found.

“This study really highlights the complexity of the genetics underlying autism,” says Coon. “We are grateful for the enormous effort given by thousands of autism families from around the world, and particularly for the continued involvement of our local families here in Utah. These international collaborations may provide the keys to unlocking the secrets of complex diseases such as autism.”

Judith S. Miller, Ph.D., U of U associate professor of psychiatry, also was a co-author on the study, which was funded in part by Autism Speaks. Additional support for the University of Utah Autism Research Project comes from the Utah Autism Foundation and from the National Institutes of Health.

Source: Media-Newswire.com

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The Autism News | English

By Cheryl Heppard – Detroit Holistic Health Examiner

My eleven year old daughter has slight allergies and consequently, often gets congested. As a health counselor, I have had many clients who have dramatically improved their health and conditions by modifying their diet to exclude dairy and gluten. Most of us have some type of inflammatory response to both. We determined early on that my oldest daughter is very sensitive to dairy. Recently, we convinced her to try a gluten free diet as well. I already cook a primarily gluten free menu, using brown rice pasta rather than pasta made with refined white flours, and using brown rice, quinoa, lentils and beans liberally as side dishes.

Here is a little more information on how to transition to a gluten free diet.

Who Should Avoid Gluten?

Gluten allergies have become very common and the number of people who are allergic are expected to keep rising. Those who are severely allergic to gluten are known as “celiacs”. Some people get severe skin rashes from gluten allergies. Everybody seems to have some kind of an inflammatory response to gluten, and the gluten free diet has become very popular as many health conditions improve once gluten is cut out of the diet, such as arthritis, autism, ADHD, allergies, etc.

What Is Gluten?

Gluten is the protein part of wheat, spelt, rye, barley, most oats, and other related grains. Gluten intolerance is the inability to digest or break down gluten. This condition can range from a mild sensitivity to full blown celiac disease. The skin disorder called dermatitis herpetiformis, which causes a chronic itchy rash of bumps and blisters, is also linked to gluten allergies. The gluten-free diet must be strictly followed by sufferers of celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis.

Around ½% of the world’s population is Celiac. This means ~1 in 200 people. Some people are not celiac, but have intolerance to gluten. Some studies show gluten intolerance to be around 30 times more prevalent than celiac disease. Up to 15% of people or 1 in 7 are gluten sensitive and suffer the same symptoms. These are people who test negative or inconclusive for celiac disease. They are known as Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitive (NCGS). Symptoms include gastro-intestinal issues, headaches, mouth ulcers, weight gain or weight loss, poor immunity to disease, and skin problems like dermatitis and eczema.

According to some celiac specialist researchers, everyone has some reaction to gluten, but non-celiacs recover more quickly. Many people report feeling better on a gluten free diet. Many studies have found that a gluten free diet significantly decreases allergy symptoms among children. Some medical practitioners believe that gluten-free diets benefit other conditions as well, such as irritable bowel syndrome, ADD/ADHD, autism, multiple sclerosis, cystic fibrosis, thyroid disease and other autoimmune disorders.

Sticking to a gluten-free diet is not easy. Grains are used in many foods, especially processed foods, which everyone should avoid despite gluten intolerances. It is often difficult to determine by an ingredient’s name what may be in it, so it is easy to eat gluten despite the best of intentions. Gluten is used in unexpected ways, so be wary of the following: stabilizing agents or thickeners in foods, over-the-counter or prescription medications, vitamins, cosmetics such as lipstick, and also many lip balms, and even communtion wafers may contain gluten.

Michigan Resources

When I work with clients who have recently become diagnosed as being celiac, have candida, or must avoid gluten for allergies, I recommend visiting the gluten free store in Chesterfield Township, called Celiac Specialties. There also is a new restaurant in Sterling Heights which is completely gluten safe, called GF Cucina.

Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s also carry a good selection of gluten free products.

Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-7948-Detroit-Holistic-Health-Examiner~y2009m4d12-Going-Gluten-Free

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