A new study confirmed the findings of John Rodakis, who announced that his son’s autism symptoms improving after a taking amoxicillin which was prescribed for throat infection became popular. The research suggests that there is indeed a link between autism and gut bacteria.
The study, which involved 45,000 Norwegian children, of whom 195 children are diagnosed with ASD, discovered that young children with autism had two and half times more chances to suffer from gastrointestinal complications during their late infanthood and adulthood.
Mothers were required to report their children’s gastrointestinal problems in their children at different periods in their lives. The study found that the more severe gut problems were observed in children with autism even if they weren’t yet prognosticated with the disease.
The researchers observed that children with autism were more likely to have diarrhea and constipation during 6 months to 18 months age. Also, the children were more likely to have diarrhea, food allergy/intolerance and constipation during 18 months to 36 months age, compared to other children.
Rozaklis said in the Journal Microbial Ecology in Health and Diseases that the development he noticed in his son’s behavior during the time he was administered the antibiotic stimulated him to find out what caused these changes.
He found a paper published in 1999 by Ellen Bolte which stated that there is a connection between ASD and gut bacteria. The document was not followed by an extended research on the topic. Speaking to other parents, he learned that children with autism had fewer gut bacteria than those who don’t suffer from the condition. According to Rozakilis, it is obvious that antibiotics disrupt the growth of gut bacteria.
A prolonged treatment with antibiotics, especially for a child, could result in microbiome imbalance. Rodakis said that he is not sure if antibiotics can be used to treat autism, but it could be a starting point for further discoveries.
He added that parents of kids with autism must not immediately start this treatment until other proofs will be available on the subject.
Rodakis and his team stated that some parents have observed worsening of autistic children’s behavior after taking antibiotics. This could mean that antibiotics interact with autism. Other parents have also observed improvements in children with ASD symptoms after taking antibiotics, and they are still giving their kids an antibiotic course.
Image Source: Collective Evolution
