Eliminating foods from a child’s diet can be one of the most intimidating suggestion for parents. Especially for children on the spectrum or who experience hyperactivity and behavioral challenges. Some kids are extremely picky eaters and are used to routines and eating specific favorite foods. But unfortunately some of those favorite foods tend to contain one or more of the three most problematic ingredients that are responsible for digestive issues, dysbiosis (gut bacteria imbalance), and food sensitivities. This creates a feedback loop that can worsen picky eating as well as cause digestive discomfort, inflammation and immune challenges, and increased behavioral symptoms. Those three ingredients are wheat, dairy and sugar – the most common staples in the standard American diet. 

Did you know that these foods tend to be addictive and produce brain chemicals similar to those induced by opioids and other drugs? Partially-digested proteins, or peptides, from wheat (gluten) and dairy (casein) are bioactive and possess opioid activity, affecting both the peripheral and central nervous system and influencing behavior, memory, and pain perception, which accounts for the potentially addictive quality of these foods.¹ Sugar, too, is a substance known to release opioids and dopamine and thus shows addictive potential.²

Often once these foods have been removed from the diet for a period of time, cravings will decrease and it is easier to make dietary changes. Additionally, with the avoidance of these and other potentially allergenic foods or additives that cause digestive distress, it is possible to improve digestion, reduce inflammation in the body and brain that aggravates behavioral symptoms, and break the feedback loop of picky eating.

The problem with gluten

So what specifically does wheat (or its protein, gluten) have to do with autism and ADHD? Mostly it comes down to the gut-brain axis, the connection between our digestion and brain functioning. When we have problems with our digestion, it directly affects our how our brain and nervous system are developing and functioning due to the effects on neurotransmitter production in the gut and inflammation. Remember that most of our serotonin, as well as other neurotransmitters, are produced in the gut. Because of the gut-brain connection, imbalances in the gut are directly tied to imbalances in the brain.

There is already plenty of evidence in the scientific literature that being on a gluten-free diet can reduce challenging behavioral symptoms of ASD and ADHD. Results from a two year, randomized, controlled study of a gluten-free and casein-free diet in children with ASD and ADHD showed “significant improvement” on several measurement scales.³ Let’s now look at wheat gluten specifically.

Celiac and gluten sensitivity

Gluten is a protein found in wheat and other grains such as barley, rye, kamut, spelt, and oats that have been cross-contaminated with wheat. About 1 percent of the population have celiac disease, a serious condition where the body’s immune cells attack the lining of the small intestine, destroying the villi, hair-like structures that absorb nutrients. Think of them like small fingers that expand the surface area of the intestines to increase nutrient absorption.⁴ When these villi are damaged, the surface area of the intestines becomes flattened and irritated and nutrient absorption is greatly reduced. Individuals with untreated celiac disease can be at risk of life-threatening nutrient deficiencies such as anemia and other autoimmune disorders.⁵

While true celiac is rare, as many as 12% of us have non-celiac gluten sensitivity, which is associated with a range of inflammatory conditions such as:⁶

• irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
• fibromyalgia
• psoriasis
• acne
• depression
• schizophrenia

There are currently no simple means of testing for a non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and the best way to find out if you have a gluten sensitivity is to completely avoid foods containing gluten for a period of 30 days and see if symptoms resolve. Many people find that seemingly unrelated conditions can improve on a gluten-free diet.

Even in the absence or celiac or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, there is evidence that everyone can benefit from the removal of gluten from the diet. This mainly has to do with the effects of gluten on intestinal permeability (leaky gut), and the excessive use of the chemical glyphosate (the pesticide in Roundup) on wheat and present in wheat-containing foods.

Leaky gut and autism/ADHD

Children with autism are particularly susceptible to leaky gut.⁷ Gluten triggers the release of a substance called zonulin, which opens the tight junctions of the intestinal walls, allowing bits of undigested food and bacteria to pass through to the bloodstream. Some kinds of bacterial metabolites are neuroactive. This means they intervere with neurodevelopment and cognition. One particular metabolite, called propionic acid, can cross the blood-brain barrier and has been shown in studies done on rats to induce ASD-like behaviors such as hyperactivity, repetitive behaviors, and abnormal motor movements.⁷

Intestinal permeability, or leaky gut, has also been associated with social dysfunctions in ADHD. Another study from 2018 showed higher prevalence of zonulin levels in children with ADHD than controls, and found a direct correlation between elevated zonulin levels and increased hyperactivity and impairment of social functioning.⁸

There are ways to resolve and overcome leaky gut. Certain amino acids, such as glycine, help repair and heal the gut. Eessential fatty acids sooth inflammation. Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) also help to repair and seal off the gut. Balancing the gut microbiome and avoiding gluten prevent future damage to the intestinal walls.

Wheat and glyphosate

The other problem with wheat is that it is heavily sprayed with glyphosate, the chemical herbicide in Roundup.^TM Farmers primarily use glyphosate on corn and soybeans. But it is also a desiccant sprayed on wheat to dry it out before harvest. Glyphosate also contaminates oats and other crops via spray drifting in the wind or cross-contamination during processing. A study by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found glyphosate in nearly all samples of popular oat-based breakfast cereals. If you eat oats, always buy organic, certified gluten-free oats.

Glyphosate and autism/ADHD

Glyphosate is a carcinogen and causes many harmful effects on the body. One in particular that influences neural development and behavior is its effect on the gut microbiome. Glyphosate kills many of the friendly bacteria that are supposed to populate the gut. Some of these good bacteria produce enzymes that break down gluten. Bad bacteria that take their place activate zonulin and compromise the intestinal wall integrity. Studies show glyphosate can actually cause celiac disease.⁹ The gut-brain axis reacts to leaky gut, impaired digestion, and an altered microbiome by changing neurotransmitter function. It’s a vicious cycle that worsens ASD/ADHD symptoms.

Additionally, glyphosate depletes the trace mineral manganese, in order to block plants, bacteria and other organisms from producing critical amino acids such as tryptophan, tyrosine, and phenylalanine.¹⁰ This chemical process is called the “shikimate pathway.” Not coincidentally, these very same amino acids are the building blocks of our neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine and endorphins! Humans are not dependent upon the shikimate pathway, and we do consume these amino acids from food. But what happens when we consume food treated with glyphosate is that we become deficient in manganese, and some of our gut bacteria that we depend upon for converting these amino acids into our neurotransmitters are depleted as well. (Note: don’t go out and start supplementing with manganese – this trace mineral is also toxic in high amounts! Focus on eating nutrient-dense organic foods that are not treated with glyphosate.)

References

1. Pruimboom, L., & de Punder, K. (2015). The opioid effects of gluten exorphins: asymptomatic celiac disease. Journal of health, population, and nutrition, 33, 24. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41043-015-0032-y
2. Avena, N. M., Rada, P., & Hoebel, B. G. (2008). Evidence for sugar addiction: behavioral and neurochemical effects of intermittent, excessive sugar intake. Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews, 32(1), 20–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2007.04.019
3. Whiteley, P., Haracopos, D., Knivsberg, A. M., Reichelt, K. L., Parlar, S., Jacobsen, J., Seim, A., Pedersen, L., Schondel, M., & Shattock, P. (2010). The ScanBrit randomised, controlled, single-blind study of a gluten- and casein-free dietary intervention for children with autism spectrum disorders. Nutritional neuroscience, 13(2), 87–100. https://doi.org/10.1179/147683010X12611460763922
4. Singh, P., Arora, A., Strand, T. A., Leffler, D. A., Catassi, C., Green, P. H., Kelly, C. P., Ahuja, V., & Makharia, G. K. (2018). Global Prevalence of Celiac Disease: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology : the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association, 16(6), 823–836.e2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cgh.2017.06.037
5. https://celiac.org/about-celiac-disease/related-conditions/
6. Aziz, I., Hadjivassiliou, M., & Sanders, D. S. (2015). The spectrum of noncoeliac gluten sensitivity. Nature reviews. Gastroenterology & hepatology, 12(9), 516–526. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2015.107
7. Li, Q., Han, Y., Dy, A., & Hagerman, R. J. (2017). The Gut Microbiota and Autism Spectrum Disorders. Frontiers in cellular neuroscience, 11, 120. https://doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2017.00120
8. Özyurt, G., et al. (2018) Increased zonulin is associated with hyperactivity and social dysfunctions in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Comprehensive Psychiatry, Vol 87, 138-142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2018.10.006
9. Samsel, A., & Seneff, S. (2013). Glyphosate, pathways to modern diseases II: Celiac sprue and gluten intolerance. Interdisciplinary toxicology, 6(4), 159–184. https://doi.org/10.2478/intox-2013-0026
10. Samsel, A., & Seneff, S. (2015). Glyphosate, pathways to modern diseases III: Manganese, neurological diseases, and associated pathologies. Surgical neurology international, 6, 45. https://doi.org/10.4103/2152-7806.153876

©️ 2021 Angie Spinelli