Joseph Mercola

It’s widely known that autistic children often suffer from gastrointestinal (GI) problems, with those experiencing the worst GI problems often having the most severe cases of autism.

Research con rms and further strengthens the theory that the gut plays an important role in the development of ASD. Gut dysfunction in autism may be due to mutations in genes found in both the gut and brain that affect neuronal communication and cause gut dysfunction.

Even without a genetic component, the gut microbiome appears to play an important role in ASD. Previous research has shown autistic children have less diversity and reduced amounts of certain gut bacteria, which may render them more susceptible to the adverse effects of environmental toxins