Evidence on youtube that a GFCF diet reduces Aspie symptoms?

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Guys, this just seem incredible to me. I've been on a GFCF diet for months and have seen miracles in my life when it comes to my Asperger symptoms, but this person's youtube blog of this guy who has Aspergers is just astounding. I'm posting a before and after video below. Click on them both (put one on the left side and one on the right) and notice the extreme differences a month after he started his gluten free, dairy free diet. Notice the striking differences with tone of voice, hygeine, attitude, posture, etc. Amazing.

Before:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ycFjHuj6RE[/youtube]

After:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0-uUWX1ti0[/youtube]

Why should we expect avoidance of gluten and casein to improve autism spectrum symptoms? One anecdotal case doesn't prove that this works. It sounds like a fad diet, unrealistic to follow, with no explanation of why it should work. (Modified serotonin or oxytocin levels, etc.) Casein protein contains essential amino acids that are also found in other high protein foods. Of what significance is gluten, other than for allergies? Why should we do anything but try to eat an overall balanced diet, with adequate protein and other nutrients? The danger of fad diets is that they tend to be unbalanced, and may worsen whatever difficulties we face.

Placebo effect?

It could be a placebo certainly but many people have benefitted from using this diet some have even written books in which they reference the diet as a reason why their lives have improved

I hear what you guys are saying, but the theory is that our bowels are porous due to genetics or maybe due to damage from antibiotics, a vaccine, etc. The theory states that we can't properly digest protein peptides from dairy and gluten (wheat). I'm not a doctor, but it had done miracles for me recently and even before Asperger Syndrome was giving an "official" diagnosed condition.
When I was in the 7th grade in 1989 I and clueless about Aspergers I went on a diet to lose weight over a year period of time. I took these things out of my diet just to lose weight. I ate things like salads and low fat meats. I took all bread and diary products out of my diet. The next year I made straight As for the first time in my life, could actually sleep at nights, had a group of friends for the first time in my life, and made the basketball team. I gradually started to eat gluten and dairy again without gaining the weight. The next year in high school all the good things that I had vanished. I was in the "zone" from another planet. I diverted everything and everbody out of my life once again. I didn't know what was wrong. A few months into the year one of my "friends" came up to me and said, "what happened to you?" Of course I diverted his question and went about my day. For years I didn't know what he meant, until now. There is something to this I am convinced. I'm open for challenges because I know it sounds to good to be true, but I can't dismiss what happened or what is happening to me now.

I've always instinctively avoided gluten and caseine containing products, because they don't make me feel very good. Simple as that. Gluten is one of the most difficult to digest substances there is, and it's rife in the food chain. You don't have to be coeliac to have issues with it.

If it works for these guys then why should anyone have an issue with it? It's like you taking up issue with me having an egg allergy, because my saying that egg makes me ill is saying all people on the spectrum should avoid eating egg... we're all different, and if it works for a number of autistics then that's brilliant and there shouldn't be any reason why others can't try and see if they have similar success. Why does it automatically have to be a placebo effect, just because it may or may not work for you?

Don't forget, autism is a spectrum and a syndrome - there is no definite cause or reason, it's simply a cluster of symptoms displayed in a large group of people.

The gfcf diet has been thoroughly studied, there are tests available to see who's likely to benefit, it works for non-autistics with neurological problems also, it's known why it works, and the improvement can be confirmed with lab tests. They even sell digestive enzymes (DPP-IV) to treat it. It's treated the same way as lactose intolerance by supplying the missing/defective enzyme to properly digest the problem foods. You would have to reject science to claim it works due to a placebo effect. Do I recommend the diet? No, because it's difficult and probiotics should treat the cause of the symptoms (an overgrowth of yeast and/or bacteria is a likely cause what inhibits DPP-IV that results in improper digestion of gluten and casein).

To read all the studies on the diet:
http://www.autismndi.com/news/default.a ... ow=Studies

Here is the article:

http://www.autismndi.com/news/display.a ... 0721150209

Although it could be placebo for some,the GFCF diet must do something for Auties and Aspies-otherwise how would it have improved some profoundly LF MR auties,as they do not have the same awareness level as people less affected than them.

Give me scientific proof or give me death!

I don't know about the science behind this but all I can tell you is that when I went gluten free I had a lot more patience (and I didn't have the huge appetite that I usually have).

He certainly does look better in the second video, that's for certain. Makes me wonder about this...

Yea, in the first video he had that typical Asperger zoned out look.

I can see absolutely no difference between the two videos.

tone of voice is the same, body language is the same. hygeine (how can you tell a difference in hygiene by looking at this?) attitude, posture, etc. are the same.

xyzyxx, of course you can't tell the difference. You are watching the videos with an Asperger mind that lacks detail and facial expressions. The only reason I'm able to half tell is because of the diet I'm on.