Dr Cade Case Study

Dr Cade, who spent several decades researching schizophrenia, tested a hypothesis that originated from Dohan’s work related to the absorption of exorphins contained in gluten and casein. Fascinated by the dietary habits of South Pacific Islanders, Dohan noted fewer and less severe cases of schizophrenia among those whose diets were free of wheat, rye, barley, and oats. Dohan believed that there could be genetic defects in schizophrenia that result in an overload of peptides from milk protein (casein) and/or gluten. Sun, Cade, Fregly, and Privette focused on β-CM, smaller peptides found in milk, and found that one of these peptides (β-CM7) could cross the blood–brain barrier in rats. This, in turn, resulted in a variety of odd behaviors that
Up to 20% to 30% of families report trying this diet. It is based on the hypothesis that gluten (a peptide found in barley, rye, oats, and wheat) and casein (a peptide found in milk products) act like false neuropeptides in the brain. The hypothesis suggests there is absorption of these peptides through a “leaky” intestinal membrane and that these compounds then cross the blood-brain barrier in children with ASDs. This diet is used as a treatment for ASDs in the absence of documented food allergy or celiac disease. (Compart and Laake,
The intestinal lining then absorbs the amino acids into the blood stream, which carries the amino acids to the rest of the body, providing nutrition. The Opioid-Excess Theory alleges ASD can result from disruptions to this process. According to the theory, some individuals suffer from inadequate production of gluten- and casein-related digestive enzymes, and increased gut permeability. Without adequate levels of digestive enzymes, peptides derived from gluten and casein fail to become amino acids in large numbers. Increased gut permeability then allows the peptides to leak into the blood stream, where they circulate and eventually cross the brain–blood barrier. Symptoms of ASD are theorized to result from peptides’ attaching to opioid neuro-receptors. (Mulloy et al.,