Hippocrates said: “You have a second brain in your gut”
The gut microbiome and autism
Children diagnosed within the spectrum, are very prone to have gastrointestinal manifestations such as diarrhea, constipation, bacterial and candida overgrowth, nutrient malabsorption, among others.
Today, the healing power of maintaining a healthy intestinal flora is recognized as promoting mental health by fighting psychological and psychiatric diseases. (1) That is why it is necessary to highlight what could affect the microbiota or bacterial flora:
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The constant and continuous use of antibiotics, dietary changes
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Immunological problems
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Stress.
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All of them have the ability to modify that balance and produce what is known as intestinal dysbiosis (2). Children diagnosed within the spectrum have many gastrointestinal disorders such as diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, the same being involved with a deficiency of pancreatic enzymes, food sensitivities, and omega 3 deficiency (3)
(1) Reddy, B. L., & Saier, M. H. (2015). Autism and our intestinal microbiota. Journal of molecular microbiology and biotechnology, 25(1), 51-55.
(2) Hughes, H. K., Rose, D., & Ashwood, P. (2018). The gut microbiota and dysbiosis in autism spectrum disorders. Current neurology and neuroscience reports, 18(11), 81.
(3) Adams, J., Audhya, T., Geis, E., Gehn, E., Fimbres, V., Pollard, E., ... & Matthews, J. (2018). Comprehensive nutritional and dietary intervention for autism spectrum disorder—A randomized, controlled 12-month trial. Nutrients, 10(3), 369.