A Gluten-Free, Casein-Free Diet No Remedy for Autism

May 19, 2010— -- A popular diet intended to curb the effects of autism received yet another blow today in the form of a new study that found that autistic children who adhered to a gluten-free, casein-free diet showed no improvement in their symptoms.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, and casein is a protein found in dairy products.

Dr. Susan Hyman, lead author of the study, said she knows that some families would be surprised by the team's findings, especially given the reports of dramatic clinical improvement observed by many families using the diet.

"It would have been wonderful for children with autism and their families if we found that the GFCF [gluten-free, casein-free] diet could really help, but this small study didn't show significant benefits," Hyman, an associate professor of pediatrics at Golisano Children's Hospital at the University of Rochester Medical Center, said in a statement. But she did say it was possible that children with significant gastrointestinal disease would reap some benefits from the diet.

Still, Tracey McCollum, the mother of one of the children in the study, said the results were personally disheartening.

"We were hoping to show that the diet made a difference, give a lot of parents some hopes that, 'Here's a magic bullet; here is something that I can do proactively that will help my child," she said. "As a parent you want to do everything you can to help your child do the best he can in life."

The study will be presented May 22 at the International Meeting for Autism Research in Philadelphia.

The researchers undertook a randomized, double-blinded (meaning neither the participants nor the researchers knew which treatment anyone received), placebo-controlled study.

Fourteen children who were put on the diet for at least four weeks were then given snacks containing gluten, casein, both or neither. The researchers evaluated the children for changes in attention, sleep, stool patterns and characteristic autistic behavior. The study did not show significant changes in any of these symptoms for any of the groups.

Dr. Leonard Rappaport, chief of the Division of Developmental Medicine at Children's Hospital in Boston, called the findings "disappointing."

"Even though I did not believe it really made a difference, I was hoping I was wrong," Rappaport said.