Nearly six out of every 1,000 people have autism, a condition that negatively affects communication and social relationships.
Some of the physical symptoms associated with autism include bloating, stomachaches and diarrhea. Since children with autism were more prone to having higher levels of Clostridia, a group of "bad" bacteria, probiotic food supplements might lower the levels of these bad bacteria and alleviate some of the autism symptoms.
Researchers haven't been able to find out what the cause of autism is, however genetic and environmental factors have been cited as likely contributors to the complex disorder.
Researchers agreed that toxic byproducts of the bacteria might play a role with the disease because of how they are absorbed into the blood and travel to the brain.
One type of bacteria researchers have found to produce promising results is called Lactobacillus plantarum 229v, which attaches itself to the lining of the gut and stimulates its growth. In addition to these functions, this bacteria has also been discovered to lower gut pH, which aids in the digestive process and helps fight infections.
Research has also revealed that friendly bacteria might be useful in treating irritable bowel disorder, diarrhea, colitis and bowel cancer. Experts have noticed an increasing acceptance of probiotics as a way to help manage health conditions.
Nature May 5, 2004
It's great news that the benefits of probiotics are being fully explored, and this is one method that seems worthwhile for autism.
Although I am not a big fan of nutritional supplementation the way it is currently practiced by most natural medicine clinicians, I have found probiotics (beneficial bacteria) to be an exception.
It is the ONLY supplement I recommend for ALL new patients (unless of course they are already on one). I don't believe that they need to stay on it the rest of their life, but one to three months are usually beneficial until they are able to get their diet improved.
Total health begins in the gut so if your GI tract is not in optimal health, then your overall health will be compromised.
The probiotic I most highly recommend is Probiotics, as it is a highly effective probiotic. This probiotic is particularly helpful in people who have an excess of bad bacteria in their gut--and most people do as a result of agricultural chemicals, pollution, antibiotics and an abundance of processed foods. Probiotics contains over 26 billion beneficial bacteria per serving (that's over 2 billion more than the industry standard) that literally attack the harmful pathogens in the intestines to eliminate parasites and bad bacteria.
The number of children diagnosed with autism in the United States is continuing to increase at a rate of more than 20 percent a year. Since children with autism are known to carry certain "bad" bacteria, using a probiotic may provide some relief.
In addition to becoming familiar with the value of probiotics, you will also want to look into the link between autism and pasteurized milk and the role of childhood vaccines in autism.
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