Children with autism are at a double disadvantage in regard to bacteria. They not only have to deal with bacteria within biofilm but are subject to devastating abnormal immune reactions to bacterial products which include LPS.

Researchers at a very well respected research center, the MIND Institute (associated with the University of California), have found clear differences in immune responses between autistic children and neurotypical children following their exposure to LPS, bean lectin and bacterial agents. The research established this difference in immune response as a major differences between children with autism and typical children.[9]

In autism. the extreme immunological reaction to LPS and other bacterial products induces an excessive increase in TNF-alpha, a toxin produced by the immune system. [10]TNF-alpha causes a wide variety of ailments that include problems with digestion, thyroid, deficits in memory, cognition, social exploration, and often manifest in anger and bad behavior. (Not everyone will get every symptom.) [11]

Peanut allergy further exemplifies the need for fanatic adherence to SCD. and is a prime example of a severe overreaction by the immune system. Hypersensitivity to substances in peanuts triggers overreaction of the immune system which in turn may lead to particularly severe physical symptoms in a small percentage of people.

Although the aforementioned two immunological reactions are not identical, they share commonalities. Children who have a mild case of peanut allergy, might have a good result on a diet that is 90% peanut free. but severe cases probably need strict 100% adherence. Even children with a mild case of peanut allergy see better results with 100% compliance than when being 99% peanut free. In both instances, small amounts of the offending substance are capable of great impact.

Children need to practice the fanatic adherence demanded by SCD if they aspire to achieve the outstanding progress so often reported by parents do SCD correctly.

References

[9] http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/newsroom/releases/archives/mind/2005/immune_sys5-2005.html
Researchers at the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute found clear differences in cellular responses between autistic children and neurotypical children following exposure to LPS, bean lectin and bacterial agents. At the Institute this was discovered to be a major and important difference between children with ASD and typical children.[8]

[10] Proof that this extreme immunological reaction to LPS and other bacterial products induces an excessive increase in TNF-alpha in autistic children.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11694332?ordinalpos=3&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel
1: J Neuroimmunol. 2001 Nov 1;120(1-2):170-9.
Proinflammatory and regulatory cytokine production associated with innate and adaptive immune responses in children with autism spectrum disorders and developmental regression.
Jyonouchi H, Sun S, Le H.

Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, MMC 610 FUMC, 420 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. jyono001@tc.umn.edu

We determined innate and adaptive immune responses in children with developmental regression and autism spectrum disorders (ASD, N=71), developmentally normal siblings (N=23), and controls (N=17). With lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a stimulant for innate immunity, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 59/71 (83.1%) ASD patients produced >2 SD above the control mean (CM) values of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and/or IL-6 produced by control PBMCs. ASD PBMCs produced higher levels of proinflammatory/counter-regulatory cytokines without stimuli than controls. With stimulants of phytohemagglutinin (PHA), tetanus, IL-12p70, and IL-18, PBMCs from 47.9% to 60% of ASD patients produced >2 SD above the CM values of TNF-alpha depending on stimulants. Our results indicate excessive innate immune responses in a number of ASD children that may be most evident in TNF-alpha production.

PMID: 11694332 [PubMed

[11] A web page filled with research articles concerning the harmful effects of TNF.
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