No Link Between Autism, Celiac Disease: Study (Bad Study)

John · Joined: 12 Oct 2006 Posts: 70

No Link Between Autism, Celiac Disease: Study

http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20070501/hl_hsn/nolinkbetweenautismceliacdiseasestudy;_ylt=AqRu.i9cSrw_ZOYy.5SvuDbVJRIF

So out of 34 autistic and 34 non-autistic children, the autistic children were twice as likely to show gluten-specific antibodies but NONE of the 10% showing antibodies had enough villae damage to diagnose Celiac... Is there a hint that the autistic children were twice as likely to show the antibodies? Hello?

This study proves nothing to me other than that they used a rediculously small sample size and narrow diagnostic criteria.

Oh I also noticed that about 10% of the random sample showed gluten-specific antibodies. Isn't this about the rate that Dr. Fine postulates? I see more reason to research the link out of this study, not a dead end.

aklap · Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Posts: 8607 Location: WI, USA

Hi John,

Thanks for sharing this. I'd agree...it's a really small study. Only 34??!?

Linda · Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 12:02 pm Post subject:

My friend's sister works with autistic kids, and during her university studies, they looked at the benefits of a GF/CF diet for autistic kids. She has noticed a difference with the kids she works with who are on the diet and so do the parents. Do the children have celiac? Who knows. Is there a benefit to the autistic children consuming a GF/CF diet? The university and the parents seem to think so. Sometimes anecdotal evidence should be enough. Even if they can't figure out why the diet is working, the point is that it is working.
A girl in Ty's class has Down Syndrome, her sister is autistic and her dad has Celiac. When the girls are eating GF, they both are able to settle down and focus on the task at hand. They are less scatterbrained and more attentive. Give them 1/2 a Timbit (doughnut hole) and according to their mom, they are bouncing off the walls. That's all that mom needs to convince her to keep them on a GF diet.
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Mom of Ty (he's nine) who was diagnosed by bloodwork June 2005, biopsy August 11, 2005, notified on & started GF August 18, 2005