Research summaries for autism therapy: probiotics

definition of probiotics: Dietary supplements that contain helpful bacteria that are thought to be important for good health.
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Complementary Alternative Medicine for Children with Autism: A Physician Survey, Summarized Jan 8, 2010

Some physicians may recommend complementary alternative medicine (CAM) therapies for children with autism.

A survey was offered to 3,100 pediatricians and family medicine practitioners, and about 1 out of 5 responded to the survey (539 physicians).... And 19 to 25% of them encouraged essential fatty acids (EFAs), melatonin, and probiotics as therapy for autism. Physicians discouraged parents from using some therapies.... Read more...

Food Allergy and Autism Spectrum Disorders: Is There a Link?, Summarized Sep 15, 2009

Probiotics may help to relieve gut problems in children with autism.

This review article describes proposed causes of gut problems in children with autism and describes the risks and benefits of treatments. There are a lot of data to support that children with autism have a chronic immune response in their gut. Many parents treat the gut problems with the gluten-free, casein-free (GFCF) diet even though there is not a lot of data to support the use of the diet. While there is some concern that the GFCF diet may not provide all needed vitamins to children, this concern is not backed by data. Treatment with probiotics makes sense, but it has not been proven to work in scientific studies of children with autism.

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Probiotics: Delineation of Prophylactic and Therapeutic Benefits, Summarized Aug 13, 2009

Probiotics may be helpful for digestive problems that can occur in some children with autism.

Probiotic therapy involves taking supplements or foods that contain "good bacteria" that live and thrive in a healthy gut. The two most common good bacteria are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. This review article describes how some people do not have enough good bacteria in their guts and may be helped by probiotic therapy. People with autism who also have gut problems (gas, bloating, diarrhea, inflammatory bowel disease) may find probiotic therapy very helpful. Probiotics may also be helpful for a broad range of health issues, such as diabetes, obesity, and allergies. Read more...

Complimentary and Alternative Medicine Treatments for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Summarized Jan 26, 2009

Doctors and patients may benefit if doctors review the science behind complimentary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments for autism.

The best therapies for autism are special education, speech therapy, social skills therapy, and applied behavior analysis (ABA therapy). This review article describes the common use of CAM treatments for autism and grades each one based upon the scientific research that has been done. Secretin has been well studied as a treatment for autism and it has been shown not to help. Music therapy, vitamin B6/magnesium, dimethylglycine, and others have been studied a little bit. There are no studies about whether yoga, folate, or probiotics are able to help with the symptoms of autism. Read more...

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