New Scientific Data Supports Nutrition and Dietary Intervention for Those with Autism

Until recently treatment options for those with autism had been limited because of a narrow perspective that views autism as simply a brain malfunction or psychiatric disorder. However, more recent scientific data is expanding that perspective and suggesting that nutrition and dietary interventions, particularly the removal of wheat and dairy products, make a significant difference.

According to a Nov. 27 press release, controlling the symptoms of autism is no longer limited to behavior and communication therapies and prescription medications. Now thousands of parents who've applied nutrition interventions report that what they feed their children with autism definitely makes a difference.

Julie Matthews is a Certified Nutrition Consultant specializing in autism spectrum disorders. According to the Healthful Living website, Matthews has been a Defeat Autism Now (DAN!) practitioner for several years, presents at national DAN! conferences, has written a book on diet and nutrition for autism, "Nourising Hope," and hosts a weekly radio program in San Francisco, Calif., that focuses on autism. Matthews asserts that something has been missing all along in the perspective and treatment approach for those with autism. But now science is "rethinking autism and new data supports the idea that special diets can help," she says.

According to the press release, University of Western Ontario scientists recently found a link between a compound produced in the digestive system and autistic-type behavior. This compound is also found in wheat and dairy products, which suggests that what autistic children eat could alter their brain function. Dr. Martha Herbert, Assistant Professor in Neurology at Harvard Medical School, said in response to this discovery: "Now we're learning that the brain and body can influence each other. There are chemicals produced by and influenced by foods that can affect the brain." Therefore, it stands to reason that if those foods are removed from the diet of a person with autism, the negative impact on the brain should stop.