Autism and gastrointestinal (GI) disorders

Another up-vote here for the stress theory. When I’m settled, calm and not triggered or obsessing negatively about things - essentially ‘well’ from a mental viewpoint - I notice a very happy and settled digestion. When my mental state is not good it’s the opposite either with reflux or let’s just call them “challenges” at the other end of my digestive tract. I have been tested for the various digestive conditions and the very serious illness that can develop and thankfully I am negative. I believe this is all stress related. And as an autistic, I do get stressed or make myself stressed more than I should. For me the best treatment is to try to avoid all the stressors. To me the link is now so obvious that I can use my digestion as an early warning system of stress levels rising. 

I have extremely fast digestion since birth and so does my autistic father. No cause has been found. I can control it a little by eating a very bland limited fiber diet and avoiding stimulants like caffeine but it never slows down to the extent of a normal person. It is difficult to keep weight on.

've tested negative for celiac multiple times and ruled out specific food allergies by cutting back to just white rice and water and then testing ingredients one at a time over about s year.

I apparently have no inflammation.

As a fellow Coeliac, I agree 100%.

That sounds similar to my state.  You have my sympathies.

I suffer from a lack of energy too. I am anaemic and some of the medication I take deprives me of other things like B12 among other things that also make me very tired all the time.

I have Coeliac's Disease also.  I despise it.   It's robbed me of all energy and ambition.

Co-occurring conditions like GI issues or other medical issues potentially do mask autism so, I believe that this is likely to be correct. It's very interesting!

Your spaniel and my beagle would potentially get on very well because you've just described his personality to a tee!

I am sorry that it makes you sad. However, you aren't on your own as this thread shows. There are plenty of autistic people out there who have had or currently have similar experiences and medical issues as you. If it is ever getting you down then please reach out or just reach out anyway, even if you're sad about something else. 

Well, if you do try it and it works for you, then it seems like there are a number of people in this thread who would benefit from hearing your results!

I believe that my GI issues are definitely linked to my diagnosis or vice versa. I actually think that my GI issues may have masked my diagnosis as a child. But as you said, there's not been enough research to back up such a claim.

On an educational session earlier in the year, it was positioned that the link might be the other way round.

Higher than normal levels of stress and anxiety as a result of our autism increase the hormones our gut has to deal with and as a result causes various conditions and issues.

I share the same digestive profile as my spaniel, food goes through too fast and his guts are never settled. He's also shy, nervous, excitable, get anxious and hides under the bed when there's too many people in the house, seems very intelligent too....

I am diagnosed autistic and I suffer from acid reflux as well. I am currently on medication too and I always have digestive tract issues. I also have been diagnosed with anorexia, which might've caused some digestive tract issues as well. Almost all of my problems have been caused by my digestive tract. It makes me extremely sad to think about it.

Hi,

I am autistic and I recently read an article about this. Apparently autistic people have a high level of a certain type of gut bacteria in their guts. It has also been found that around 75% of autistic people have a digestive issue of some kind.

Personally, I have a sliding hiatus hernia which causes acid reflux, indigestion, nausea, and bloating. I have been on medication for it in the past because I got a stomach ulcer. But, the ulcer has since healed and I manage it without medication now. I have to avoid acidic and spicy foods. I am also lactose intolerant which I believe is also because of the autism. I am of white northern European descent, and this group of people have the highest rates of lactose tolerance. Furthermore, no one else in my family (immediate or extended) is lactose intolerant. So it is very weird that I am lactose intolerant. My identical twin is also autistic and lactose intolerant, but she does not have a sliding hiatus hernia.

Also my dad was autistic and he had severe stomach issues that were never diagnosed. He was told it was irritable bowel syndrome. But, I don't know. He was on a very restricted diet for a lot of his life.

Anyway, the article I was reading about autism causing digestive issues was suggesting that eating one yogurt with probiotics everyday might help improve digestive issues by improving the balance of gut bacteria in autistic people's guts (i.e. intestines). And, if you can't have dairy there are dairy free yogurts with probiotics in them too. Of course, there haven't been many studies on this yet, so it's hard to say whether it would actually be effective. Personally, I haven't tried it, but I am considering it.

Lemon doesn't help very much for stomach issues. In fact, because it has such a high citric acid content it can even make them worse. According to this study https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0965229917302273 lemon can have neutralizing affect on stomach acid, but it is as affective as drinking plain water. So in other words, you might as well drink water instead of lemon juice for heartburn because it will have the same amount of neutralizing affect while also not posing the risk of making it worse.

24/7/365 yes.

I accepted the risks, and I always knew that there was a chance of failure, so I am where I am.

There's nothing to be sorry for. Without having this conversation with you and the other people in this thread, I wouldn't have found out that there could be a link between our neurodiversity and our GI issues. It cannot be a coincidence that so many people with autism also have GI-related issues.

I also wouldn't know about the ReflexStop treatment, which is something I am going to look into, so thank you very much for that!

I know a few people with problems, one who has a REAL doctor in Italy working with her on these issues. She suddenly had problems after shellfish poisoning and while trying to repair her gut, has encountered all kinds of difficulty getting back to where she was but did go through a week on / off regiment of a very low dose of anti-biotics then probiotics.  I've had unknown dietary issues my whole life. My grandmother would talk about her father's 'stomach problems', so we know it's in the family.

Some time ago I found a bit of research had identified a missing enzyme in certain biologies in relation to "gluten" issues. We do know there is a great deal more gluten in grains today than even 50 years ago. Pesticides and chemicals are causing problems as well as some of these modifications. A new crop of wheat in Mexico has been produced to be drought and insect resistant. And yet, if an insect can't penetrate it, why do we think the human gut can?  

I had cut out gluten nearly 20 years ago, initially a doctor thought it was sugars/yeasts, but found most grains still caused issue. More recently, I've gone from only Oats (which are a different type of grain species) to completely grain/grass/cereal free. Fun fact: sugar cane is a grass related to wheat. The biggest problem is contamination and Cover Crops.

I discovered problems with the Legume family and recently happened across a woman who follows an ancient diet and steers clear of these altogether. I was able to eat a bit a tiny amount of hummus and peanut butter until about 5 years ago, and then no. Same with the entire Mustard Family. Legumes, if not soaked properly rob nutrients, especially minerals, and like the grass family were traditionally animal fodder. Fun fact: The peanut is a bean not a nut! The coffee bean is a cherry pip, vanilla beans and cocoa beans are seeds.

Around the time I went off gluten I also kept noticing Spinach was creating problems. So have also steered clear of Insoluble fibre. 

Refined sugars do seem to create blocks in constitution, dehydration is also a problem I've had to mind. So, I have to keep my salt intake up, a little natural sugar is good for hydration and cranberry or black current also good. Lemons seem to be a one-hit-wonder. They fix gastric issues in a pinch. It seems few understand that Lemons have an alkalising effect neutralising stomach acid. For some reason the term "acid" has been confused even by GPs to mean citrus. 

NEXT: I've found hormone regulation plays a role in being 'regular'. As does a mushroom / nootropic tonic to boost the gut-brain axis. And finally, ensuring I'm getting enough B's and iron.

So, this is probably 30 years of vigilance. My diet includes natural and food-based supplements (herbal hormone balance), mushroom based immune building drops, a multi which is meat based and a pro biotic. 

Omitting Legumes, Grains, Brassicas, I have a diet that appears something between FODMAP meets Paleo: All fruits / berries, anything from the sea, daisy and chicory family lettuces, cucurbits, properly soaked seeds/true nuts, non-toxic fungi, meat. I try to stick to organic since I can eat small and specific. 

A fellow FODMAPper!

I will deviate from it for special occasions and suffer the consequences. 

I have no idea if my problems get worse because of environment or diet changes. I only managed to figure out what causes me panic attacks that I also have for years. 

The diverticular disease is the only major problem. I have occasional flare-ups, where I can lose blood and then have to 'rest my gut' i.e. starve myself (no solid food) for up to 7 days.

BeagleDad said:

I had fundoplication surgery to repair my hiatus hernia to reinforce my valve with part of my stomach and a titanium implant

I'm really sorry to hear that neither of those procedures worked for you. It must be so disappointing, despite having understood the risks beforehand.

I do feel very fortunate that my LINX implant (the same gadget as yours, I'm sure) is currently working so well - especially given the struggles that I had whilst my vagus nerve adapted to it. There's no guarantee that I'll stay PPI free, but so far so good.

Do you know about the latest surgical intervention, RefluxStop?

https://refluxuk.com/treatments/refluxstop

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/surgical-solutions-reflux-overview-fundoplication-linx-refluxstop-by1fe