Journal of Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics

Nutritional Aspects Related with Casein and Gluten Consumption in Autism Spectrum Disorder ASD

The etiology of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is unknown, involves a complex interaction between multiple and varied susceptible genes, epigenetic and environmental factors. The diagnosis is made through clinical evaluation. First-line therapies are psychosocial treatments and educational interventions. On average 30% of people and with ASD consumes some drug or supplement. The options and effectiveness of the treatments are limited and therefore several lines of alternative treatment have emerged. The use of dietary restriction to reduce behavioral symptoms is widespread, with the most popular being the "theory of excess opioid peptides", which postulates that the consumption of gluten and casein contributes to the worsening of symptoms and a diet free of these proteins improves the clinical picture. Despite many data presented in the literature, there are still doubts about the mechanisms involved as well as about dietary efficacy. For all of the above, the topical review will address the opioid system, opioid peptides derived from gluten and casein, changes in the digestive tract of individuals with ASD, history of the onset of the theory, physiological mechanisms involved, brief description of the scientific literature, on the subject and the perspectives as a therapeutic instrument.

Author(s): Nadia Isaac da Silva and Ivo Lebrun

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