Home page Join Facebook group Autism: It’s Gut Stupid
By Anil Minocha MD, author: Guide to Alternative Medicine and the Digestive System
Short chain fatty acids (SCFA)
- Propionic acid or propionate, acetate and butyrate are predominant short chain fatty acids in the body. produced as a result of fermentation of undigested carbohydrates by intestinal bacteria.
- SCFAs are involved in satiety and obesity
- High levels of bacteria like clostridia produce high levels of propionate which has been implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders like autism.
Background facts about gut and autism
- Patients with autism have impaired carbohydrate digestion and absorption.
- Some studies suggest that GI symptoms correlate with severity of autistic symptoms in patients and this is associated with alterations in intestinal bacteria
How may short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) play role in Autism
Short chain fatty acids perform numerous diverse functions in the body that have potential to play role in pathogesesis of autism (ASD)
- Alter several neutransmitters including glutamate, dopamine, norepinephrine
- Affect brain signaling and transmission in nerves affecting behavior
- Affect mitochondria (cellular respiration)
- Modulate expression of genes in the body
- Suppress appetite and feel filled up early
- Aversion internal cues making kids picky eaters
Major sources of short chain fatty acids
- Carbohydrates in diet
- Food preservatives
Short chain fatty acids from and bacterial fermentation of undigested carbohydrates
- Undigested carbohydrates are acted upon by bacteria. Bacterial fermentation reseults in formation of short chain acids that are then absorbed into the body.
- The type of SCFA (acetate, butyrate or propionate) depends in part on the type of bacteria in the gut.
Propionic acid or propionate in food
- Propionic acid is contained in many food preservatives. Calcium propionate is FDA approved food preservative widely used in wheat, bread, cheese, juices, as well as dried fruit.
- Propionic acid in food represents only a small fraction of what is encountered in gut as a result of bacterial metabolism.
- Absorbed prioinic acid once absorbed into the blood circulation crosses the blood brain barrier and enters the brain where it can exert its affects.
Propionic acid or propionate in healthy kids
- Consumption of large amounts of propionate makes kids irritable, inattentive, and restless associated with sleep problems [Dengate 2002]
Propionic acid in autistic kids
- Anecdotal reports suggest that some kids with autism may suffer worsening of symptoms on consuming processed foods like wheat or diary containing propionate as food preservative.
Propionic acid in animals
- Propoinate injection in rats into brain directly or into abdomen leads to developmental and cognitive and social impairments. The brain in such rats shows inflammation also.
- Propionic acid suppresses appetite in animals as well as probably humans [ Liljeberg 1995].
- Sodium propionate induces aversion internal cues as well as early satiety in sheep.
- Sodium propionate is widely used in farm feeds.
Dr. Minocha’s comments
- Data on role of propionate in human autism is indirect and preliminary.
- A low FODMAP diet may lower the amount of short chain fatty acids in the gut and may help some patients. Of note, low FODMAP diet has been shown to be helpful in irritable bowel syndrome.
- A drawback of low FODMAP diet is that it lowers the prebiotic component of the diet.
- Always be sure to talk to your doctor before making any significant changes in diet or medications.
Why doesn’t mainstream medicine look at this. The gut out of
sync affects the whole body. Let us get back to basics & be open
to all avenues instead of burying our heads in the sand!
You have a pretty decent summary and I know the articles where some of the points come from, but can you please also include references to the articles. If not throughout the text, then at least at the end. I see here you’ve done it once.
Cheers
Sonia, these points were discovered by mainstream science. Mainstream medicine is gradually adopting things like this.
The biggest jump we are making is acknowledging the role of bacteria in the human body. There are 10x as many bacteria as mammalian cells inside of a human being. As science further identifies and understands this, medicine will follow.
the reason why most mainstream medicine does not look at this is because it is more concerned with treating the symptoms, not the cause; same old story. however there are a few medical professionals who are the exception to the rule.
I work in the food industry, and this is only the tip of the iceberg, as the main offenders are the USA, Australia, most of the EU including the UK. additives used are thinly disguised as “processing aids” (which basically means they are allowed to be used to replace lost moisture, vitamins, mouth-feel, etc, of the products which have been processed), so that the consumer will not be at a disadvantage(?).
additives are also a cause of allergies in the western world; children and even adults having allergies are almost unheard of in so-called third-world countries.
as an example, supermarket fresh fish and meat contain the most amount of additives which are designed to hold water which is used to plump the products up. amounts are anything up to 40% in corned meats, as an example.
I could go on and on about this, but people are buying on convenience and price, rather than quality.
personally I would rather live on vegetables and grains rather than eat processed food.
Propionic acids released by the clostridia bacteria have various isomeric forms and therefore energy contents. The normally evolved bacteria release a form we have been evolved to cope with and it is involved in the control of our actions both physically and mentally in sustenance acquisition (Through an evolutionary process without which we as mammals would not exist). This is achieved when the released molecule of acid is chemically reduced in the brain cell releasing the energy in its radiant form. From this a signal is then induced from the regulatory memory (RM) associated with the involved genes of the DNA where under normal circumstances a controlled reaction from the cell is activated. However given the bacteria has been dysfunctionally evolved by exposure to Antibiotics or environmentally significantly different sustenance then the propionic acid molecule has a different energy content that on release in the brain cell draws a dysfunctional reaction. This is Autism or Tourettes etc.depending on the antibiotic or sustenance involved.. (Cells are spontaneous in their reaction! Give me a break, what rot, whatever happened to the physics law that every effect has a cause?)