Research: Gluten- and Casein-Free Diets for Autistic Spectrum Disorder

Authored by Millward, C., Ferriter M., Calver S., and Connell-Jones G. in The Cochrane Library, Volume 2, Issue , p. 1-22, (2008).

Article summary (posted Jun 18, 2008):

While many parents use gluten-free and casein-free diets for their children with autism, there is only one small controlled study that shows the diets to be helpful.

This review article looked to see if gluten-free and casein-free diets have been shown to help people with autism. There are only two controlled studies on the effect of gluten-free diet and casein-free diets on people with autism. While both studies were small, one showed that a gluten-free casein-free diet improved the symptoms of autism. The authors conclude that there needs to be more studies to see if these diets can help children with autism. The authors also point out that a gluten-free casein-free diet can be hard on parents and may cost extra money.

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You can access the original abstract and the complete paper is sometimes available for free via Google Scholar (look for entries that say "PDF" or "HTML" on the right side of the page).
autism, casein-free diet, controlled study, diet, gluten-free casein-free (GFCF), gluten-free diet, parent, review article
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