Ketogenic diet in autism treatment

Autism spectrum disorder is a group of complex developmental disorders characterized by a persistent deficit in social communication and interaction, as well as by restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. One of the mechanisms explaining the emergence of ASD is the model of mitochondrial dysfunction. This is confirmed by the fact that mitochondrial pathology is detected considerably more often (more than 500-fold) in ASD, along with an increase in the level of markers of mitochondrial damage.

By what means can a ketogenic diet produce an effect in ASD?

As with any other disease, the principal therapeutic effect is a neuroprotective action achieved through the reduction of lipid peroxidation.

In addition, the KD influences the level of gamma-aminobutyric acid and acetylcholine — that is, neurotransmitters whose change in level plays a leading role in the development of ASD. The polyunsaturated fatty acids (docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid) used in the KD protocol for autism have an anti-inflammatory effect, which, given the signs of inflammation in ASD, produces a substantial therapeutic effect.

An additional advantage of the ketogenic diet is the ability to combine it with the casein-free and gluten-free diet (CFGF) traditional for the treatment of ASD. For this reason, the ketogenic diet is a pathogenetically justified method of treating ASD.