Research: Plasma Amino Acid Profiles in Children with Autism: Potential Risk of Nutritional Deficiencies

Authored by Arnold, GL, Hyman SL, Mooney RA, and Kirby RS in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Volume 33, Issue 4, p. 449-454, (2004).

Article summary (posted Feb 19, 2007):

Children on gluten-free and casein-free diets should be closely watched to make sure that they are eating enough good quality protein.

This study was designed to measure levels of amino acids in children with autism and compare those levels to levels found in children who do not have autism. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Previous studies have shown that children with autism have similar types of amino acids in their blood and hair as other children. In the current study, the authors found that children with autism are more likely to be missing certain amino acids when compared to other children. This problem was even bigger in children on gluten-free or casein-free diets.

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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).
amino acids, autism, casein-free diet, diet, eating, gluten-free diet, hair, protein
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