Gluten-free and casein-free diet for children with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review

Objectives The purpose of this review was to systematically search and critically analyse literature concerning the efficacy of gluten-free and/or casein-free diets in treating maladaptive behaviours in children with autism spectrum disorder. Methods Eleven randomized clinical trials retrieved from PubMed and Cochrane Library databases and hand search were reviewed and assessed for methodological quality using the Cochrane Collaboration's risk of bias tool. Results Samples were mostly small, and few studies yielded evidence of statistically significant behavioural outcomes attributable to dietary interventions. Conclusions The results of this review imply that the efficacy of gluten-free and/or casein-free diets for individuals with autism spectrum disorder remains unsubstantiated. Larger and better designed studies focused on specific outcomes, and which are not dependent on unblinded researcher or parent report, are needed to establish whether gluten-free and/or casein-free diets are effective for children with autism spectrum disorder or any subgroup of such children.Systematic Review RegistrationPROSPERO CRD42020142407. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)