Thursday April 5 9:15 PM ET
 Dietary Changes May Help Some with Autism

 By Shaun Griffin

 LONDON (Reuters Health) - Cutting out dairy, wheat and some other foods
may improve the symptoms of some children
 and adults with autism but worsen symptoms in others, according to
preliminary results of a small study presented Thursday.

 Autism is a neurological disorder that impairs language development and
prevents patients from socializing normally. It
 typically appears during the first 3 years of life.

 ``The theory is that poorly-degraded food proteins leak from the gut
into the blood,'' having a drug-like effect that changes
 brain activity, Dr. Ted Kniker told Reuters Health in a telephone
interview from the 12th International Conference on
 Autism, held at Durham University in England.

 Kniker, from the San Antonio Texas Autistic Treatment Center, reported
findings from the first phase of a two-part study of
 28 people with autism. The study team assessed the diets, and dietary
and medical histories of the participants this January.
 During the first phase of the 3-month intervention, milk and dairy
products, food colorings, grain and caffeine, and other
 foods were eliminated from the diet.

 Kniker explained that 10 of the 28 participants had a change in
behavior. ``Five of these 10 improved in many of the
 parameters examined, but to our surprise, the other five
deteriorated.''

 He added, ``The deterioration experienced by the five individuals may
be explained if the removal of these foods unmasked
 negative effects of other foods that they may not ordinarily consume.''

 The second phase of the study was initiated April 2. ``We have now
removed a different set of foods, including soy
 products, peanuts, buckwheat and grape from their diets, and will
assess whether those who improved previously improve
 further, whether those (in whom) diet had no effects improve, and
whether individuals who deteriorated in the first part of
 the trial get better,'' Kniker said.

 The participants were all residents in the treatment center, so their
``diets were completely controlled,'' he pointed out.

 In an interview with Reuters Health, co-researcher Dr. Alzono Andrews,
psychologist and director of the Autistic Treatment
 Center, said, ``We also monitored disruptive behavior, communication
skills and other psychological parameters, and we
 saw trends in four individuals towards improved behavior, and a decline
in behavior in another four.''

 Andrews noted, ``In two responders, we noted improved cognition and
sociability. Staff also said these individuals were
 more alert and retentive, although there was an associated increase in
behavioral problems. We would conclude, however,
 that they had improved overall.''

 Kniker concluded that while far more research still needs to be
conducted, he hopes that results from the second half of
 their study, due in May, will lead to further clues to the causes of
and treatment of autism.