Why does the GF/CF (gluten free/casein free) diet work?

For most people, the breakdown of dietary protein into smaller and smaller proteins and finally into individual amino acids is a process that is smoothly completed as food travels though the digestive system. However, for an autistic individual, it has been found that a defect in the intestinal wall permits incompletely digested components of the original proteins to pass from the intestine into the bloodstream (also know as the "leaky gut syndrome").

In the case of two of the diet's most common proteins, gluten (from wheat, barley, oats and rye) and casein (from milk), some of the components that are released into the bloodstream have opioid (morphine-like) properties. These proteins are transported to the brain where they bind to receptors causing an effect that research indicates is manifested in the symptoms of autism.

So, by removing sources of gluten and casein from the diet of autistic children, may help alleviate and at times eliminate the symptoms of autism.

The above information was provided by: Autism-Diet.com