Jane Casey's Kitchen

Research on Dietary Interventions in ASD    – Get out your study caps!

I’ve located some very interesting research abstracts on TACA  – Talk About Curing Autism!

As you know, TACA is a national non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to educating, empowering and supporting families affected by autism.

For families who have received the autism diagnosis, TACA aims to speed up the cycle time from initial diagnosis to effective treatments. Finding those effective treatments is a big part of the adjustment period, as much as the healing process. TACA also helps to strengthen the autism community by connecting families and the professionals who can help them, allowing them to share stories and information to help improve the quality of life for people with autism.

Here’s one example of the abstracts of research done on the link between dietary issues and autism found, from July 7, 2010.

“Gastrointestinal disturbances are commonly reported in children with autism, complicate clinical management, and may contribute to behavioral impairment. Reports of deficiencies in disaccharidase enzymatic activity and of beneficial responses to probiotic and dietary therapies led us to survey gene expression and the mucoepithelial microbiota in intestinal biopsies from children with autism and gastrointestinal disease and children with gastrointestinal disease alone. Ileal transcripts encoding disaccharidases and hexose transporters were deficient in children with autism, indicating impairment of the primary pathway for carbohydrate digestion and transport in enterocytes. Deficient expression of these enzymes and transporters was associated with expression of the intestinal transcription factor, CDX2. Metagenomic analysis of intestinal bacteria revealed compositional dysbiosis manifest as decreases in Bacteroidetes, increases in the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes, and increases in Betaproteobacteria. Expression levels of disaccharidases and transporters were associated with the abundance of affected bacterial phylotypes. These results indicate a relationship between human intestinal gene expression and bacterial community structure and may provide insights into the pathophysiology of gastrointestinal disturbances in children with autism.”

Food Allergy and Autism Spectrum Disorders: Is There a Link? Current Allergy and Asthma Reports 2009;9:194–201 

For a full set of abstracts and resources, go here!

After reading this comprehensive blog post at the Nourishing Hope Blog, I decided this was a perfect spot of information for any of you who might be skeptical about the subject of camel milk!

Camel Milk’s Healing Power

“Research and experience from an increasing number of people around the world demonstrate that camel milk facilitates healing in our bodies. Camel milk has many unique and amazing properties.

Here’s some quick research:

• Camel milk has been shown to heal food allergies (1) and gut problems. The antibodies and immune properties of camel’s milk contribute to its wonderful viral and bacterial fighting abilities.
• It is particularly helpful in addressing immune system dysregulation in various forms.  Camel milk can support and help people with autoimmune conditions, including autism, heal.
• A research study by Dr. Reuven Yagil (2005) shows camel milk has positive results in children with autism. (2)
• Camel milk contains insulin and is effective in diabetes (3), including gestational diabetes (4)^.
  

Since children with autism routinely have immune system challenges: inability to fight bacterial, viral and other infections, and states of chronic inflammation, allergy, and autoimmunity, camel milk has promising health and healing benefits.”

 - Julie Matthews, Certified Nutrition Consultant, and author of the Nourishing Hope Blog

November 15, 2011

Read more of Julie’s comprehensive article on the fascinating history and benefits of camel milk!