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I thought this article might be of interest. It was published recently
in the Bottom Line Health News online
(http://www.bottomlinesecrets.com/e2/e2_signup.html).
- Marilyn



Long-Distance Connection

In looking for effective ways to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD) without medication, researchers often focus on dietary
issues. These issues have centered primarily on food additives, in
particular artificial colorings, flavorings and preservatives. So I was
surprised when a reader queried me about a possible connection between
ADHD and celiac disease, which is an inability to digest gluten (a
protein found in wheat and several other grains). It was hard to find an
expert in this area, but I did -- Aristo Vojdani, PhD, MT, CEO of the
Immunosciences Lab, Inc., a microbiology and immunology research
facility in Beverly Hills, California. Dr. Vojdani said that his company
did indeed have research concerning celiac and ADHD.

Indirect Connection

Dr. Vojdani stressed immediately that there is no direct connection
between celiac and ADHD. However, he says that there is indirect
evidence that having antibodies against gluten, as happens in celiac,
could make some neurological disorders, including ADHD, worse. The
explanation about how this happens is somewhat complex -- in fact, you
may find it takes you back to your high school biology classes...

If a person suffers from celiac disease, his/her body sees gluten and
its related proteins as intruders and makes antibodies against them.
This has critical implications for the gastrointestinal (GI) tract
because the antibodies make it virtually impossible for the GI tract to
digest anything with gluten in it. Symptoms include diarrhea, bloating
and flatulence... and the body becomes unable to absorb nutrients.

ADHD also can be associated with gluten sensitivity. With gluten
sensitivity, your body makes antibodies only against gluten, not its
related enzymes. Being gluten sensitive means that you don't do well
with gluten in your diet, but it doesn't have the broader health
consequences of being unable to absorb nutrients that celiac disease
does. You may have mild problems of indigestion, bloating, gas and
nausea... or you may have no symptoms at all.

More to the point for us, however, is that, according to Dr. Vojdani's
research, the antibodies against gluten impact the function of the
brain. What happens in the brain -- very roughly speaking -- is this.
Both celiac sufferers and those who are gluten sensitive can't digest
the gluten peptide (peptides are very short proteins made up of an amino
acid chain). Gluten peptides escape from the GI tract and get into the
blood. Antibodies then form to fight these intruders. In spite of the
antibodies, some of the gluten peptides manage to cross into the brain.
Once there, they bind to receptors known as opioid receptors, which are
primarily responsible for sensing positive pleasure-like stimuli. Like
in a child's game of musical chairs, since the gluten peptides already
have claimed a place on the receptors, when the opioid peptoids try to
bind, there isn't any room.  It is as if the gluten peptides have
elbowed them out of line. The result is neurological impairment, which
manifests in autism, ADHD or migraines.

Dr. Vojdani's work has focused largely on autism, but he says that there
is reason to think that the inability to digest gluten peptide
exacerbates symptoms in some people with ADHD, and also some migraine
sufferers. His lab has found that about one-third of the autistic
children have gluten sensitivity and he surmises that this would be true
of about the same percentage of those with ADHD.

Now What?

For those with ADHD, Dr. Vojdani suggests having a blood test to
determine the presence or absence of the antibodies to gluten. This is a
simple test, he says, and it will tell you if gluten sensitivity is an
issue. If antibodies are present, you should eliminate gluten completely
from the diet. for exactly what this entails... another good source for
information is www.celiac.com <http://www.celiac.com/> . Dr. Vojdani
says that while a gluten-restricted diet will have almost an immediate
effect on ADHD symptoms for some people, more typically it will take
three or so months to determine if the diet is helping.This is just the
beginning of findings associating poor digestion with autoimmune
diseases. Stay tuned for more.
  _____

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