An autism food allergy is a very serious problem. In fact, allergy-induced autism has only recently been identified and occurs when a child’s diet influences their autism symptoms. Children who are most at risk for impact from an autistic food allergy are those with regressive autism. Regressive autism is the form of the disorder that occurs when the child’s first symptoms appear around two years of age after having developed normally until then. Other autistic children at risk are those with behavioral and neurological problems along with severe digestive problems.
Children with autistic food allergies struggle to digest essential food proteins, such as gluten and casein. Gluten is a protein found in many types of grains, such as wheat, and is often added to food products during the manufacturing process. Casein is a protein found in milk and is also added to other foods as they are made.
Some children with food allergies cannot properly digest gluten and casein. These proteins are only partially digested, leaving a byproduct to which infants react in much the same way as the drug morphine. This substance is able to slip through the wall of the digestive tract, a condition known as ‘leaky gut syndrome’, and circulates through the bloodstream to the brain.
When a child has gluten or casein intolerance, an altered protein may also be found in the urine after the child has eaten foods containing these two compounds. This is believed to occur as a result of the creation and absorption of the morphine-like chemical created by the child’s body when she tries to digest gluten or casein. The child may then behave in a “spaced out” manner. Also, it can create something of an addiction in these children, causing them to crave foods that contain gluten and casein.
Because children with autism and food allergies struggle to digest food properly, they also cannot remove toxins and chemicals from their bodies as effectively as they should. This can include not just waste in the traditional sense of digestion, but also fertilizers, pesticides, cleaners and detergents, pollution, artificial flavors and colors, preservatives, chemical food additives, and other forms of chemicals that can accumulate and become toxic over time. . .
The symptoms of an autistic food allergy usually appear in an autistic child around the age of three. Although symptoms may arise as a result of intolerance to contaminants in food, others will react to chemical additives, and again, others will react to the basic composition of the food. Although reactions can be caused by essentially anything, the most common allergies are to foods like corn, citrus fruits, wheat, dairy, and sugar.
Although the symptoms of an autism food allergy may not be obvious to those around the child, medical tests and observation show frequent diarrhea, bloating, low blood sugar, excessive sweating, redness of the ears, and face, rhinitis (runny nose), the inability to regulate body temperature, and dark circles under the eyes are common.
The only way to treat an autistic food allergy is to identify the food or foods that are causing the problem and then eliminate it completely from the diet. It is important to note that this will not cure autism, however symptoms will often improve substantially when eating a diet free of the elements that cause a reaction. Parents will continue to face the same problems socializing and communicating with autistic children, even after a modified diet is introduced, and the change will still need to be managed carefully.
To find out what foods your child reacts to, an exclusion diet is a good way to determine which items are potentially contributing to their autism symptoms and digestive problems. However, before starting an exclusion diet, be sure to consult a qualified healthcare professional to ensure your child continues to receive adequate nutrition.
Once you have the go-ahead, start by eliminating the common culprits i.e. wheat, dairy, sugar, corn and citrus over a period of two to four weeks and then slowly reintroduce the eliminated items one at a time and monitor behaviors and digestive changes carefully.
This process can help identify those foods that are problematic for your child. An alternative is to have a blood test to look for the antibodies that are produced when an allergic reaction occurs. Your doctor should be able to arrange this for you or refer you to the right professional.
There is currently a study about to start by researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston that will scientifically study the effects of gluten and casein in autistic children, which should help answer the question of food allergy. of autism.