Trust Your Gut

The Autism and Microbiota link

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in every 59 children in the United States is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Due to this increasing phenomenon within our nation, certain researchers have taken steps in order to hopefully aid children with ASD and their families in this significant lifestyle shift. Currently, there are some effective treatments for ASD such as social support and behavioral therapy because autism is largely focused on its associated communication difficulties. However, according to a 2019 ScienceDaily article, there is a new path within autism research headed up by Arizona State University that targets the gut microbiome, which normally helps our bodies to digest food and prevents growth of harmful bacteria. This new research is centered on this specific microbiome because gastrointestinal etiologies have been discovered to have a 30-50% comorbidity with ASD – its chronic pain may cause increased irritability, decreased attention, and adverse behavior. Additionally, this gut microbiome may affect brain health, as revealed when Krajmalnik-Brown, Arizona State University professor, stated “we are finding a very strong connection between the microbes that live in our intestines and signals that travel to the brain.” 

A Look into Microbiota Transfer Therapy

This new, cutting-edge technique is known as Microbiota Transfer Therapy (MTT), which is a fancy name for a type of fecal transplant. According to an Autism Speaks article which delineates MTT, the children received antibiotics for 2 weeks and then had a bowel cleanout to prepare for a colonoscopy. Afterwards, they received a transplant of healthy bacteria by mouth or by enema. Notably, there were remarkable improvements of gut health AND autism symptoms (such as social deficits and behavior difficulties) that persisted at least two years after treatment. These positive results could be largely due to management of these participants’ chronic discomfort, leading to more progressive and effective coping skills for behavioral issues without lingering pain.

FDA Approval

Because this MTT technique has been so effective for a considerable amount of children, the Food and Drug Administration has fast-tracked its certification in order to help families touched by autism. While running their own study delving into the method of MTT, the FDA discovered that this therapy reduced gastrointestinal symptoms by 77% and core ASD symptoms by 24% two months after treatment. It proved long-term effectiveness two years later as well. I completely believe that this fast-track designation is crucial to the well-being of families of children with ASD because there is currently no specific FDA-approved medication to target the core symptoms of autism. Moreover, having this microbiome technique quickly approved provides some relief and hope for their future lifestyle. In summary, the gut microbiome could play an essential role in treating core symptoms of ASD and establishing strong brain health. All I gotta say is … any one got more of that gut microbiome stuff?