Effect of gluten free diet on gastrointestinal and behavioral indices for children with autism spectrum disorders: a randomized clinical trial.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to investigate the effect of a gluten-free diet (GFD) on gastrointestinal symptoms and behavioral indices in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Results Summary
The study found that a gluten-free diet significantly reduced gastrointestinal symptoms and behavioral disorders in children with ASD, while the regular diet group showed no significant improvements.
Population
80 children diagnosed with ASD using the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R).
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
6 weeks
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
gluten free diet (GFD) | decrease | prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms | children with ASD | 40.57% vs. 17.10% | decreased significantly | #1 |
regular diet (RD) | increase | prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms | children with ASD | 42.45% vs. 44.05% | increased insignificantly | #2 |
GFD intervention | decrease | behavioral disorders | children with ASD | 80.03±14.07 vs. 75.82±15.37 | resulted in a significant decrease | #3 |
regular diet (RD) | increase | behavioral disorders | children with ASD | 79.92±15.49 vs. 80.92±16.24 | insignificant increase | #4 |
BACKGROUND: Genetic and environmental factors are both responsible for the etiology of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Although epidemiological studies have been conducted to clarify the association between restriction diets and ASD, the conclusion remains unclear. This study was undertaken to investigate the effect of gluten free diet (GFD) on gastrointestinal symptoms and behavioral indices in children with ASD. METHODS: In this randomized clinical trial, 80 children diagnosed with ASD by the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) were assigned into GFD (n=40) and regular diet (RD) (n=40) groups for 6 weeks. At the beginning and end of the intervention, the ROME Ш questionnaire for evaluating gastrointestinal symptoms and Gilliam Autism Rating Scale 2 questionnaire (GARS-2) for assessing psychometric properties were completed. RESULTS: Of the 80 children, 53.9% had gastrointestinal abnormalities. In the GFD group, the prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms decreased significantly (P<0.05) after intake of GFD (40.57% vs. 17.10%) but increased insignificantly in the RD group (42.45% vs. 44.05%). GFD intervention resulted in a significant decrease in behavioral disorders (80.03±14.07 vs. 75.82±15.37, P<0.05) but an insignificant increase in the RD group (79.92±15.49 vs. 80.92±16.24). CONCLUSION: This study suggested that GFD may be effective in controlling gastrointestinal symptoms and ASD behaviors.