User:Glida7/autism and SCD

Children with autism have unusual bacteria
The microorganisms living in the bodies of autistic children are radically different from those of typical children.

The difference is in both the number and type of bacteria. Children with autism have a much higher number of bacteria; they have bacterial overgrowth. The bacteria are giving children with autism a a distinct chemical fingerprint in their urine, with clear and significant differences between children with autism and unrelated controls. This difference is so significant that this might form the basis of an early diagnostic test for autism. The studies are showing that children with autism are having more gram negative bacteria than typical children. An increase in gram negative bacteria may also be a risk factor for both digestive and neurological problems because gram negative bacteria contain a very virulent poison called endotoxin. Endotoxin has another name: Lypopolysaccharide or LPS The bacterial toxin, LPS, has been found to cause a variety of digestive problems. LPS causes the tight junctions to widen and become disrupted; this alteration plays an important role in creating a leaky gut. The other changes induced by LPS include broken microvilli.

Bacteria Affect the Mind
A researcher in Italy  found that autistic men had significantly more endotoxin (another name for the bacterial toxin, LPS) in their blood than healthy men. Moreover, it was found that the men who had the highest level of LPS were the most socially impaired.

Mice that were injected with LPS developed a form of autism. LPS induces in mice a autistic like syndrome, characterized by body weight loss, reduced locomotor, exploratory, and social behavior. This result has been replicated so many times by different research studies that the names, "Sickness Behavior" and "Endotoxemia" are now applied to this condition.

LPS also produces damage in the amygdala,  the hippo-campus and the white matter. These parts of the brain are impaired in autism.

Bacteria Affect the Digestive Tract
There is a link between bacterial overgrowth and digestive problems. Bacterial overgrowth damages the digestive system. Children with autism also display a higher rate of digestive disorders than typical children. Even children with autism who do not exhibit the usual symptoms of digestive disorders may have hidden defects in the GI tract.

The role of bacteria and their toxins in creating carbohydrate malabsorption is especially significant since most bacteria use unabsorbed carbohydrates as food to survive in the intestinal tract.

Carbohydrate Malabsorption and Bacterial Overgrowth
People with bacterial overgrowth need to have an abnormally large supply of carbohydrates to feed the the huge amount of bacteria found in their GI tract. Since bacteria use unabsorbed carbohydrates as food, it is logical to assume that people with bacterial overgrowth will have problems absorbing foods. . There are scientific articles that show a link between malabsorption and bacterial overgrowth.

Bacterial overgrowth will produce carbohydrate malabsorption by several different processes. Bacterial overgrowth will damage the brush border enzymes . The brush border enzymes are needed to break down the complex carbohydrates into easy to digest carbs (monosaccharides). It has been found that about 60% of children with autism have a shortage of at least one enzyme needed to digest carbohydrates. Even the children who show no shortage of these enzymes may have carbohydrate malabsorption because the tests for enzymes may provide misleading results. There are several reasons for this. One of the reasons might be due to the fact that bacteria also destroy other parts of the GI tract that are important for the absorption of carbohydrates. For example, the microvilli and the glycocalyx are very important for the absorption of foods; bacteria can destroy both the microvilli and the glycocalyx. . Microvilli increase the cellular surface area for absorption and they also increase the number of digestive enzymes that can be present on the cell surface. The glycocalyx is used to aid binding of substances needed for uptake, to adhere nutrients or as protection against harmful elements. Some types of bacteria may damage the villi.

Cells that absorb substances need a large surface area in contact with the substance to be efficient. For this task a large absorption surface is an advantage. The glycocalyx, the villi, and the microvilli provide a much larger surface for absorption. This may be comparable to a sponge or a terry cloth. A smooth surface does not absorb as much.

Treatments for Bacterial Overgrowth
Treatments that eliminate the bacteria from the bodies of autistic children show dramatic changes in reducing autistic behavior. This gives further support to the idea that bacteria cause the symptoms of autism.

Scientific research shows that children with autism can get better when pathogenic bacterias are removed with antibiotics. Eleven children with regressive-onset autism were recruited for an intervention trial using vancomycin, an oral antibiotic that targets gram positive bacteria. (Bacterias are divided into two groups: gram negative and gram positive) Significant improvement was noted in these children after taking the antibiotic. This is very impressive when we consider that vancomycin only eliminates gram positive bacteria. It is possible that even better results would have ocured if both gram negative and gram positive bacteria had been eliminated since both of those types of bacteria have invaded the bodies of children with autism

Unfortunately, Antibiotics are only effective in eliminating the bacteria of children with autism for short periods of time , the bacteria quickly regrow. the improvements from antibiotic do not last because the bacteria return

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet is a treatment that is getting used for the bacterial problems of children with autism. The goal of Specific Carbohydrate Diet is to starve out the gut bacteria by eliminating the foods that cause bacterial overgrowth. To read about the scientific proof for SCD: http://pecanbread.com/f/scienceproof.html

Children with autism should avoid eating the kind of foods that bring bacterial overgrowth. This will prevent both gram negative and positive bacteria from multiplying and producing toxins that destroy the gut and brains of children. Eliminating the destructive bacteria should be the first priority in the war against autism.