On Sun, 1 Jun 1997, Andrew S. Bonci, BA, DC, DAAPM wrote:

> Curious, would like to hear more on this enzyme and its role in gut
> integrity.

Here is a quotation from a web article that has a great deal of
information on gluten/casein intolerance and autism:

        Autism researchers have been intrigued by the fact that a
        PST deficiency can cause the improper metabolism of some
        neurotransmitters (serotonin, dopamine and
        noradrenaline.) It has been known for years that
        autistics often have abnormal levels of serotonin, at
        least as is measured in the blood. but the buildup of
        serotonin may be less significant than another outcome of
        PST deficiency--namely, the effect this deficiency would
        have on the permeability of the intestinal lining. One
        outcome of an improperly operating sulfur-transferase
        system is insufficient connective tissue in the gut wall.
        Thus, this deficiency could be yet another reason
        (besides Celiac Disease and other gastrointestinal
        ailments) that the gut wall would be "leaky." As stated
        above, when improperly metabolized proteins (such as
        gluten or casein) are able to escape the gut lining into
        the bloodstream, they can cross the protective
        blood-brain barrier.

I would be *very* interested to learn whether the PST enzyme is
itself sensitive to changes on the insulin/glucagon axis.
If so, this would be another *major* confirmation of the Ancient
Wisdom of paleodiet.

Todd Moody
[log in to unmask]