San Francisco-based biochemist Katherine Reid discovered a tool that in some cases can minimize symptoms of autism in children – a diet that excludes monosodium glutamate, reports Fox News. Her findings are based on an analysis of neurobiological research and own experience: her daughters are two years old diagnosed with autism; she is now seven years old and, according to scientist, the manifestations of the disease “completely disappeared.”
A photo from open sources
Since currently the Food and Drug Administration USA (FDA) approved only one medication (risperidone and its analogues) for the treatment of autism spectrum disorders, many parents autistic children turn to alternative medicine using homeopathic medicines, probiotics, various diets without gluten (gluten), lactose and casein in the hope that it will have positive impact on the condition of the child.
The diet referred to by Dr. Reed is different from those what were known so far. In her opinion, from autistic nutrition a child needs to exclude just one chemical compound – food supplement, flavor and aroma enhancer monosodium glutamate (others names – E 621, E 631, hydrolyzed vegetable protein).
“There are glutamate receptors in the body, which excitingly acts on nerve cells, and it is necessary, but only in a certain amount, ”Reed said. – Many developmental disorders nervous systems, such as autism, could potentially be related with an imbalance in glutamate intake. ”
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According to her, 95% of processed foods contain monosodium glutamate, however manufacturers have the right not to indicate it presence, if its content does not exceed a certain level.
Although at the moment there is no data scientifically confirming the theory Reed (the glutamate hypothesis of autism, however, already exists) biochemist considers his seven-year-old state to be back to normal daughter Brooke is a clear evidence of the fidelity of this idea. When the girl was two years old, Catherine and her husband, a cell biologist, started to notice her signs of autism: wild tantrums lasting in for several hours in a row, stereotyped behavior, difficulties in communication and training, as well as problems with the intestines.
The survey showed that the child is moderate autism. “She lived in her own world,” her mother shared. Brooke – Her actions were repeated, she showed signs neurosis of obsessive states and began to scream hysterically if I took her home on a different road than usual. ”
Reed quit her job and began to study various diets, recommended for children with autism, first of all, she excluded foods containing gluten and lactose from the baby’s diet, then she began to add magnesium, vitamin D, fish oil and a complex of B vitamins, and all these approaches helped, but completely Little.
She later came across an article on the effects of glutamate on the body. a person who noted that although this compound is necessary to transmit impulses between neurons and cells of other tissues and involved in the cognitive processes of the brain, its excess may cause various neurological disorders. Therefore, Reed ruled out from a girl’s diet foods containing monosodium glutamate, and, in her she said, “her autism symptoms completely disappeared.” Gradually the child has become more socially adapted, he has completely stereotyped behavior disappeared and coordination improved.
Sanford Newmark, doctor at the Osher Center for University of California Integrative Medicine San Francisco specializing in the treatment of children with autism, noted that so far There is no scientifically valid evidence for this theory. Not less, he is ready to check it, since he saw positive results of a gluten-free and casein-free diet.
“There is much that we don’t know about autism,” he said. “ But the work of the intestines and brain is closely related, and it often happens that saving a child from gastrointestinal problems through diet, its general condition can be improved. There is no harm in trying switch to a glutamate-free diet – if you will eat fruits, vegetables, meat, beans and whole grains and exclude processed foods then it will be healthier diet. ”
“We must be open to new approaches in the treatment of autism,” – also considers a psychiatrist and specialist in the field of autism neurology Antonio Hardan from the Children’s Hospital at Stanford University.
After Reid saw the results of the transition to free from glutamate diet at her daughter, she founded a nonprofit Unblind My Mind Food Research to the brain. According to her, 74 out of 75 children with whom she was engaged within this organization, significant improvement was noted condition.
