Research continues to support the importance of gut health. Sometime ago, researchers learned that digestive health and mental health were closely related and now it appears that autism can be included in that relationship.

Patients with Autism also suffer from GI Disorders

One reason why scientists suspected a link between gut health and autism was that 90 percent of people with autism also suffer from some gastrointestinal condition. That condition may be inflammatory bowel disease, leaky gut syndrome, or similar diseases. Nevertheless, the patient’s gut flora was involved.

Gut Health believed to transfer from mother to child

Again, considering the connection between gut health and mental health, researchers decided to examine the digestive health of pregnant women. They found that pregnant women with damaged gut flora often had children with developmental problems, including autism. Therefore, a mother’s gut health provides the foundation for her child’s gut health. And if her gut health is lacking, her child is likely to be diagnosed with:

• Autism
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
• Dyslexia
• Dyspraxia
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

These represent just a handful of the most common developmental mental conditions seen today in children. Unfortunately, the complete list is much longer.

Autistic children have higher levels of toxins

Another autism study discovered that autistic children not only had fewer healthy bacteria, but also higher levels of toxins compared to non-autistic children. Those scientists believed that because the autistic children’s overall microbiome was missing healthy bacteria, it could not effectively protect the children from toxins.

What you can do now…

Fortunately, adding probiotics to children’s diets can restore their digestive health. And research suggests that such supplementation can also reverse symptoms of autism and other mental disorders. So, whether your child presently has autism or if you are expecting, supplementation is something you should ‘Ask a Naturopath’ about.