Is Milk Bad For People With Autism/Aspergers Syndrome?

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I have AS and my son has Autism we are both on the GFCF diet.

We have celiacs and dairy makes my sinus issues far worse and I itch all night when I drink it
and he is very allergic to it. Rice, coconut, and soy make good substitutes.

I wonder if your family are a little misinformed about the supposed link between autistic regression and milk. There is some slight truth in that; a lot of hype has been going around lately (infact, since the 90's, really) that gut disorders and autism are linked. I'm not too sure if that is true, but apparently glutein (found in produce such as bread and pasta) and casein (found in dairy produce such as cheese and milk) are difficult to digest in many people and can exacerbate various bodily functions. I suppose for autistic people, it can cause discomfort (or even cause the disability to become worse because the gut problems just add onto the pile). I've never been diagnosed with a gut disorder, but I would imagine it would be as distracting and as frustrating as a perpetual headache.

I met a woman who was a strong advocate of the GFCF diet. However, she proposed that everyone (not just people on the spectrum) should be on this diet. Personally, I see a lot of issue with that. For instance, it's difficult to produce, vegetarians and especially vegans might have to succumb to eating animal produce (just nothing containing glutein), there may very well be people who simply cannot and will not eat GFCF food, some if not many food manufacturers would go bust if they don't adapt to the change etc. Not to mention that there are literally THOUSANDS of similar diets touted by people who claim that it's a miracle cure for [insert disease here] or what humans "should be eating".

Although I'm not a doctor (and therefore my opinion doesn't truly matter on this subject), I'm always very skeptical when it comes to fad diets/fad cures, etc. However, I appreciate that some people genuinely do have such allergies and require a special diet. I think if you are really concerned, you should really talk to a doctor about this. Unless you are drinking gallons of milk every single day, I wouldn't worry too much (but then again, I'm British; we bathe in that stuff, so maybe you shouldn't listen to me).

I recently discovered my lactose/casein intolerance when bother regular and lactose-free milk gave me problems.

I use lactase. Does it work for you (or anyone else?). I have a lactose intolerance, however it would appear to be a genetic thing rather than linked to my autism because my father also has severe gut problems which worsen when he eats/drinks products with milk in. I am sceptical that ALL autistics could be 'cured' or made better by the GF/CF diet, however it obviously does work for some. Is this 'curing' the autism though or is it the intolerance making more symptoms? I think the latter.

If I were you I wouldn't cut lactose out of your diet unless it causes you significant pain or discomfort. If I had the choice, I would have carried on eating dairy products (It's a nightmare for me as I am vegetarian too!) but it was making me ill. If you do decide to cut dairy out, remember that it is in LOTS of products and that you must check EVERYTHING as you never know what might contain lactose or milk! I found it in ketchup!

Hmm... I love milk and cheese and I eat a lot of it. When I was a kid I used to drink even more milk (I have cut back some as an adult and went to 2% because of the fat content, though I like whole milk better). I don't really have any stomach problems from it than I've noticed. It seems like if it were a problem it would cause digestive issues. A lot of people are lactose intolerant though, perhaps this is why many people see a benefit. The ability to digest milk after childhood was actually a genetic mutation in humans which became widespread, presumably because it was so beneficial. Personally I think milk is a healthy food.... all mammals are raised on it exclusively. Now I am craving milk after reading this thread so I am going to go drink some!

I personally think milk is disgusting and I've thought so since childhood. It's meant for baby cows, not humans. Why not just drink soy milk instead?

A few sources mention milk in relation to autism,

go to http://notmilk.com/ [and click link 'Autism' on left] and also read the section in Luke Jackson's Book, Freaks Geeks and Asperger's Syndrome about it - they say milk changes to caseomorphine which is addictive and may cause problems in those with autism

No. Milk is bad for people who have issues with milk. The End.