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Nutritional Impact of a Gluten-Free Casein-Free Diet in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Abstract

We compared anthropometric values, nutrient intake, the Healthy Eating Index and food variety in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), 20 on a gluten-free casein-free (GFCF) diet and 85 on a regular diet in Valencia (Spain) using 3-days food diaries. Those on the GFCF diet had a lower weight, body mass index, and total energy, pantothenic acid, calcium, phosphorus and sodium intake, but a higher intake of fiber, legumes, and vegetables. Further, the GFCF diet group had a better quality of fat intake, but needed supplementation with vitamin D. Randomized controlled trials are required to explore long-term effects of this diet on anthropometric and nutritional status (the focus of our study), but also behavioral symptoms, in children with ASD.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to thank the parents who generously donated their time and effort to participate in the study. We also thank the head teachers of the schools that collaborated in the study for their interest in this research. We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of editors of Ideas Need Communicating Language Services with the preparation of this manuscript.

Author contribution

All five authors have contributed significantly to the design and implementation of the study, and also to the analysis and interpretation of the results. They have all participated in preparing this manuscript and have approved the final version submitted for publication.

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unit of Public Health and Environmental Care, Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain

    Salvador Marí-Bauset, Agustín Llopis-González & María Morales Suárez-Varela

  2. Institute of Health Carlos III, CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain

    Salvador Marí-Bauset, Agustín Llopis-González & María Morales Suárez-Varela

  3. Center for Public Health Research (CSISP-FISABIO), Valencia, Spain

    Agustín Llopis-González & María Morales Suárez-Varela

  4. Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences and Physiology, University of Navarra, Navarra, Spain

    Itziar Zazpe

  5. Biomedical Research Centre Network on Obesity and Nutrition (CIBERobn), Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition, Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain

    Itziar Zazpe

  6. Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics Unit, Navarra Hospital Complex, Navarra, Spain

    Amelia Marí-Sanchis

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  1. Salvador Marí-Bauset
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  4. Amelia Marí-Sanchis
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  5. María Morales Suárez-Varela
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Correspondence to María Morales Suárez-Varela.

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Marí-Bauset, S., Llopis-González, A., Zazpe, I. et al. Nutritional Impact of a Gluten-Free Casein-Free Diet in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 46, 673–684 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-015-2582-7

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