Association between gluten intake and bowel HABITS OF children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the association between gluten intake and bowel habits of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. For this, we performed a cross-sectional study of 30 people with autism spectrum disorder aged 10 to 18 years old. Gluten intake was assessed by a food frequency questionnaire and bowel habits were evaluated by the Bristol Stool Form Scale. Most participants consumed foods containing gluten. Almost half of the participants (46.6%) showed constipation or diarrhea and there was no association between bowel habits and the frequency of intake of foods containing gluten. Thus, the present study did not show results that confirm the relationship between gluten intake and bowel habits of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.