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    Jefferson Adams
    Jefferson Adams

    Study Claims No Link between Autism and Celiac Disease

    Reviewed and edited by a celiac disease expert.

    Celiac.com 05/08/2007 - A recent news release by the American Academy of Neurology claims that results of a recent Iranian study find no link between autism in children and the development of celiac disease. The study was conducted by a team of researchers led by Dr. Samra Vazirian of Tehran University of Medical Sciences.

    The researchers compared blood samples from 34 children with autism and 34 children without autism. All blood samples were tested for antibodies used to detect celiac disease: anti-gliadin and anti-endomysial antibodies. Six children tested positive for these antibodies (four with autism, two without autism). These children were given intestinal biopsies to confirm the serological tests. The biopsies on all six children were negative for celiac disease.

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    From this, researchers concluded that children with celiac disease were no more likely to develop celiac disease than children without autism. According to Dr. Samra Vazirian, the gluten intolerance suffered by people with celiac disease might have no connection to autism, but also indicates that further research into the matter will be of benefit.

    American Academy of Neurology, news release, May 1, 2007.

    **Authors note: Given the small sample of subjects in this study, and given the clinical and anecdotal evidence for autistic children responding favorably to a gluten-free diet, coupled with the difficulty of conducting a comprehensive double-blind study involving clinical responses to a gluten free diet in autistic children versus their non-autistic counterparts, the results of this test should be treated with considerable scrutiny, if not outright skepticism. It will be interesting to find out whether or not the researchers used Marsh criteria in their assessment of the biopsies. Given the fact that double the number of autistic children had celiac disease positive serology we must conclude that, at the very least, autistic children have double the rate of gluten sensitivity than their non-autistic counterparts.

    health writer who lives in San Francisco and is a frequent author of articles for Celiac.com.


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    Guest maylenadriana@hotmail.com

    Posted

    I did found my asymptomatic child had celiac disease because I read in a book that many autistic kids did have it, I am very fortunate to have a husband and a great doctor that agree to test him on that.

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    Guest AJ Ponder

    Posted

    I thought exactly the same thing - that the study was a bit of a travesty. The small numbers combined with the misleading statement 'no more likely to develop celiac disease' (obviously we don't know if any of those children wouldn't develop celiac later in life) And yet all the mags ran this as being the final word - terrible -

    It's also important to note -

    IgG antibodies in mother (in utero) seem to have an impact for at least one form of autism...

    Open Original Shared Link

    '...exposure to abnormal immune system factors during pregnancy with specific behavioral outcomes in offpsring.'

     

    This is something I kind of guessed given a few eg.s - so it's good to see that some research is being done.

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    Guest Jesse Gunter

    Posted

    I thought exactly the same thing - that the study was a bit of a travesty. The small numbers combined with the misleading statement 'no more likely to develop celiac disease' (obviously we don't know if any of those children wouldn't develop celiac later in life) And yet all the mags ran this as being the final word - terrible -

    It's also important to note -

    IgG antibodies in mother (in utero) seem to have an impact for at least one form of autism...

    Open Original Shared Link

    '...exposure to abnormal immune system factors during pregnancy with specific behavioral outcomes in offpsring.'

     

    This is something I kind of guessed given a few eg.s - so it's good to see that some research is being done.

    The connection between Celiac disease and Autism is simple. Kids that have both problems need only one cure. No more wheat. It is simple to conclude that Autism can also be caused by a food allergy.

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    Guest Jesse Gunter

    Posted

    The connection between Celiac disease and Autism is simple. Those kids that have both conditions (like my son) only need one cure. No more wheat. It is easy to conclude that even if most kids don't get both conditions that they could still have the same cause, food allergies.

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    Guest SandraB

    Posted

    This study is just too small, but it does look as though autistic children probably have an incidence of celiac disease no higher or only a little higher than normal. Celiac disease I think affects women more, and autism affects boys around four times more, so these are difficult to comparisons. Gluten sensitivity is another matter. We need that researched. Celiac disease, and undiagnosed celiac disease in mothers - that's another issue, that does seem to be important.

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  • About Me

    Jefferson Adams

    Jefferson Adams is Celiac.com's senior writer and Digital Content Director. He earned his B.A. and M.F.A. at Arizona State University. His articles, essays, poems, stories and book reviews have appeared in numerous magazines, journals, and websites, including North American Project, Antioch Review, Caliban, Mississippi Review, Slate, and more. He is the author of more than 2,500 articles on celiac disease. His university coursework includes studies in science, scientific methodology, biology, anatomy, physiology, medicine, logic, and advanced research. He previously devised health and medical content for Colgate, Dove, Pfizer, Sharecare, Walgreens, and more. Jefferson has spoken about celiac disease to the media, including an appearance on the KQED radio show Forum, and is the editor of numerous books, including "Cereal Killers" by Scott Adams and Ron Hoggan, Ed.D.

    >VIEW ALL ARTICLES BY JEFFERSON ADAMS

     


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