The Link Between Autism and Celiac Disease

Both autism and celiac disease are fairly well-defined. There might be a link between them that hasn't been as well-defined, but there are some things we know. First of all, autistic people have a higher risk of developing celiac disease. Research has shown that this risk is almost three times greater than that of the average person. We're not entirely sure whether it's autistic people who are more likely to have celiac disease or the other way around.

Autism itself might actually be celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. This would not be too outrageous because the symptoms of these conditions are very similar. It might explain why a gluten-free diet can help treat autism.

Or maybe autism and celiac disease don't have any actual connection, but the symptoms of both simply improve on a gluten-free diet.

Or maybe the fact that celiac disease leads to leaky gut syndrome and severe malabsorption affects your body's ability to synthesize neurotransmitters, which promotes autism.

But maybe if there is a link and we put certain children on gluten-free diets, we could prevent autism from even occurring.

But regardless of the possible connections between celiac disease and autism, they do have one thing in common: leaky gut syndrome. Maybe it's this leaky gut syndrome that allows toxins to enter into the bloodstream that help promote autism.

The gluten-free/casein-free diet has shown some success with autism. The belief is that these proteins are causing some sort of reaction in autistic children and that removing them from the diet can remove these reactions. Now although there is no such thing as an allergy to gluten, there can be sensitivity...where similar symptoms can arise. Research is still looking into this.

There is another thing to consider. When certain autistic people eat gluten or casein, these chemicals are not broken down properly. They can actually end up in the bloodstream as morphine-like chemicals, which might be putting them in the "high" states typical of opiate drugs. This is called the Opiod Excess Theory of Autism, developed in the early 90s. It's also interesting to note the similarities in mental state between autistic people and opiate drug users. One is the tendency towards monotonous movements that you can see it autistic children. There is also the desire for a certain social isolation. And there is the preoccupation with examining the parts of a system or whole.

Actually if you examine the urine of autistic people, they typically have higher levels of these morphine-like chemicals than the average person, which has led to the urine peptide test. If the elevated chemical levels are found, a doctor might suggest that the person go on a gluten-free/casein-free diet.

Mark is an Internet Marketer and Electrical Engineer. His interests include meeting new people, making music, listening to music, travel and psychology. Come visit his latest website at http://www.cheapfloorlampssite.com/ which helps people find the best information on cheap floor lamps.

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