http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19245705

Nancy, this is fascinating. I doubt whether the removal of gluten has as much to do with it as the removal of most carbs (since gluten-free can be very carby) along with the addition of high fat. These are the same results as we see in the alleviation of epilepsy in children put on a low carb, ketogenic diet.

Hmm. The brain is composed mostly of fat. The brain (and thus the body) likes to consume fat. Most of the population is told not to eat fat. Result: Societal Schizophrenia between what we really need, and what we're told we need.

Here's the link to the free full (provisional) report as a pdf for those who would like to read it:

http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.c...3-7075-6-10.pdf

Perhaps, but don't underestimate what gluten can do to the brain. Take a peek at "The Gluten File" and read up on the neurological issues they are thinking gluten is causing. Everything from gait disorders to psychological issues and lesions on the brain that contain gluten antibodies (autopsies performed apparently).

Remember, you can be low carb and still be ingesting loads of gluten in the form of beer, soy sauce, wheat gluten in low carb products like Dreamfields, Carbquik, low carb breads and wraps and so on.

Yes, and you can be gluten-free and still ingesting a ton of carbohydrates and very little fat. And we know what effect that combo has on the brain.

The reason I suspect it's not the gluten, is because epileptics are allowed to eat gluten (the stuff you mention above, in limited amounts), and their brains are positively, not negatively affected. If gluten were the culprit, I believe success with those kids wouldn't be so incredibly high.

Still, it's all speculation at this point for both of us. This latest study is just a starting point, and there's so much we don't know. Hopefully not for very much longer.

Lisa

Some epileptics don't achieve success on a ketogenic diet - I wonder if those are the ones still eating gluten?

On the gluten free forum I frequent there's a lady who is definitely not low carb but has reduced her seizures dramatically by eliminating gluten.

My symptoms got worse on low carb because of all the high gluten containing products I was using.

I think both things have merit but if you try low carb and you're still having issues then eliminate the gluten and see what happens. It seems to have helped a lot of people here who were low carb, but not gluten free.

I would say cut the carbs and the gluton. I don't think either are particularly healthy. Good report btw.

I have read about the connection between gluten and schizophrenia for quite some time now. There are even studies that showed that when certain areas were in short supply of wheat, the incidence of schizophrenia decreased. Since my mother is schizophrenic, this is a big deal to me.

Though I'm glad she's had success by removing gluten from her diet, the ketogenic diet is just for pediatric epileptic patients, not adults. It's called the Ketogenic Diet for Pediatric Epilepsy. Something to do with the brain structure of kids. And apparently it is very, very strict in terms of VLC and VHF - and difficult for kids to stick to. Those who do stick to it have seen remarkable results, eating gluten or not.

Lisa

Yes, I'm familiar with it. Although they've had luck too with adults and ketogenic diet. Sometimes I wonder though if it's strictly the ketones helping or ketones and no gluten helping.

Whole bunch of research here about gluten and epilepsy: http://jccglutenfree.googlepages.com/seizuresepilepsy

Gluten and Schizophrenia
http://jccglutenfree.googlepages.com/schizophrenia

it is effective for adults. i am happy to see this discussed and hope there will be many more comments.

Just to compare: the worldwide lifetime prevalence of schizophrenia is 4/1000, while it is 5,2/1000 in Italy where the diet is very high in gluten. This is an 20 % increase!!!

And carbs. Pasta, anyone? Seriously, the two do seem to be intertwined, which is good for anecdotal information and supposition, not so much for science. Either way, I'm glad the ketogenic diet has been discovered to be so good for people suffering these diseases, and am happy to hear they work as well for adults as for children. Hopefully science will shed even more light on why this is so in the near future.

Lisa

Color me skeptical - I work in a psychiatric hospital - but hey, interesting to think about. Honestly the part of the article that most caught my eye was the diagnosis of schizophrenia at age 7. That's, statistically speaking, EXTREMELY early for onset. I'm suspicious there was something else going on, and she might have gotten caught by the "early diagnosis" into a loop of anti-psychotic meds. Meds making whatever the original "problem" was self-fulfilling.

All IMHO, of course.

A priori, the brain can't function properly when it's malnourished.

The alternative is that the brain can still function properly even when it's malnourished.

Which of the two statements is true?