Author: Charmaine Szalay
The gut-brain relationship seemingly associated with autism may even begin before birth. Children with autism may not only be affected by what they eat, but also by what their mothers have eaten during gestation. In one rodent study, researchers compared the offspring of obese mothers, who consumed a high fat diet likened to those primarily related to human consumption of fast food, to healthy controls. The obese mothers gave birth to pups that displayed behavioural deficits, much akin to autism, and a different microbiota profile. The gut flora of the pups was less diverse and was lacking one bacterium known as Lactobacillus (L.) reuteri, which produces oxytocin. Oxytocin is an important chemical for promoting sociability. Normal offspring’s gut had nine times more L. reuteri. Interestingly, when mice that lacked L. reuteri were repopulated with the bacteria, sociability was detectably improved, in addition to an increase in oxytocin producing cells.
How can we utilize the gut-brain relationship to treat autism?
While we are all familiar with blood transfusions, did you know that a small population of screened donors can donate fecal matter to help re-populate patient’s guts with healthy microbiota? A small clinical trial out of Ohio State University recently found that fecal transplant improved the behavioural deficits of children with ASD. After receiving the transplant subjects had microbiome profiles indistinguishable from healthy individuals. While fecal transplants may not be the most appealing treatment, these trials bring hope to possible forthcoming microbiota-based treatments. So, all this to say that what you eat - and more specifically the bacteria that come with it - may play a significant role in your health, and may just help us to treat diseases in the future.
For more on current studies about the link between the gut and autism click here.
More on fecal transplants as treatment.