The Brain-Gut Connection... autism remedy?

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I've been pondering over this one recently.

Scientists make gut-brain connection to Autism...

I've had digestive problems my entire life that have caused me (at times) significant discomfort. But I never thought that these issues might be affecting my brain. It's only been since my realization of AS a year and half ago, that I've been trying to really monitor my diet and figure out the connection between food and my mind-state.

I witnessed a young step-relative of mine who was diagnosed with Autism go from being non-verbal and out of control to being drastically more social and self-sufficient... because (in conjunction with therapy) his parents took gluten and casein out of his diet.

I have noticed a difference when I do not eat wheat and dairy, or other certain foods. In the immediate term, my stomach feels better... but I also feel less anxious and less overwhelmed by sensory issues. Apparently, it seems like the better my food is digested, the better I do in terms of Asperger's symptoms.

I'm curious if anyone else here has experienced any positive results from modifying their diet?
What are your thoughts about the possibility of a brain-gut connection for Autism?

Last edited by Acacia on 25 Apr 2011, 1:29 am, edited 1 time in total.

All I know is what I eat or drink really has an effect on my body and brain. Soda can make me have instant brain fog, even while on stimulant medication. Tomatoes and avocados give me a lot of energy and usually after a sandwich I just feel really really hyper.
Over this Easter holiday I've been eating less healthy. You know a lot of chocolate and for some reason, potatoes. I've been cranky, lethargic and had the worst indigestion ever. It was worse than my alcohol hangover.
Really rich or sweet food can make it hard to move, even give me tremors. I usually limit my caffeine, sugar and salt intake.

I don't know about any connection to autism. I just have a weird brain.

When I found out about my AS, I rung a herbalist naturopath friend, who instantly referred to intestinal health as the best treatment for aspergers.

I havnt done a seriously good diet to see if it helps, but if my bowel movements are well shaped with good odour, I always feel very healthy, and my AS is less.

Otherwise I think my poop smells worse than most others poop, from what I've smelt anyways. My moms poop was always a nice smell, but dad was a real stinker

Personally, I think diet can seriously exacerbate AS, but eating the perfect diet wont make it go away. Its definetly in our genes

I think we as aspies are born with something wrong in the gut function, which may or may not be largely responsible for our AS. Possibly

I am very interested to learn what others think about this.

I eat a lot of pasta.

I have Aspergers and I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome and a stomach ulcer.

I guess politeness and such is preventing others from talking about their poop.

Digestive problems affect about one-third of the NT population... and about one-third of the autistic population too.

The difference is that autistic people are highly likely to be overwhelmed by sensory data, such as the discomfort coming from digestive problems.

That's the connection. It's got very little to do with digestive problems specifically, and everything to do with sensory processing in general. If you have digestive problems, it makes perfect sense to deal with them. If you do not, you should not be wasting your time on this and should be working on other input-overload issues that could be bogging down your brain with too much data.

That's a good point, and certainly true for some people, I imagine.

What I'm curious about in particular is the study I linked to in my original post...
Researchers injected a dietary chemical found in certain foods into the brains of rats, and watched the normal, healthy rats begin to exhibit classic autistic behaviors. This shows a direct connection between the chemical (normally found in the gut) and brain activity... not necessarily the result of sensory-issues.

One implication here is that the digestive system of NT people processes these sorts of chemical compounds differently from those on the Autism spectrum, and that eliminating the source of these chemicals could help alleviate some of the problematic symptoms that autistic people experience.

I'm intrigued by this possibility.

I tried the gluten free diet, all I have to say is that it made my autism worse. I'd say what I eat affects me less than most people in general. I don't feel yucky after eating junk food for example, unless I eat a lot of it, then I feel nauseous, but I never get a stomachache, in fact, I have only had like 5 stomachaches in my life, which would average out to once every 3 years.

I've felt like I would get sick from eating pretty much anything. I'm currently following a GF/CF diet (except for times like this weekend when I couldn't resist cookies that were sitting there). I also avoid sugar in all forms. These things definitely help me to not feel sick all the time, and it helps the fatigue and brain fog. I can see how brain fog would be seen as making autistic symptoms worse, but NTs experience the same thing so I don't see it as related to autism really.

The funny thing is that I went to a doctor for the digestive issues and fatigue long before autism ever crossed my radar. The only things she ever managed to glean from all her tests and such was that I wasn't eating right and had malabsorption issues. But she'd only ever give me normal nutritional guidelines, which I followed anyway, and prescribed lots of vitimins. I figured out the gluten/casein sensitivities on my own.

The thing is when you're physically feeling better, it positively affects your mood and mental ability as well. It certainly doesn't alleviate the main problems I experience due to autism though.

The article lacked any discussion of whether that chemical would actually cross the blood-brain barrier and under what circumstances.

Most things, when injected into the brain, will cause serious problems. That's why the "blood-brain barrier" exists--because the nervous system is delicate. It's why meningitis is such a severe illness.

For example, the lethal dose of salt injected into the cerebrospinal fluid is only one-tenth that injected into the bloodstream... (Tests done on mice, obviously).

I've modified my diet because I have digestive problems. I'm on a gluten-free/casein-free diet. The diet has helped my digestive troubles. It hasn't and never will cure AS or AS traits.

I used to get brain fog/chronic fatigue from gluten, had to quit gluten for 1 year. Some statements may increase the suffering of others.... who determine the brain/gut connection incorrectly, as separate issues rather than holistically.

Co-morbid needs to include impaired digestive function in some autists. The last thing a struggling aspie needs is digestive issues affecting moods and energy

Last edited by Surfman on 25 Apr 2011, 5:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I thought this would be something to do with following your gut instinct instead of your brain.