[homer]

hi all-

my son with ts and adhd has been off dairy for a long time because he and I felt it worsened his tics. however, as he's gotten older , he has come to believe that sugar is the worst trigger. I looked at sheila rogers' 'tics and tourettes' book and she notes literature that shows a connection between those who tic or ocd to sweets and a problem in glucose regulation. therefore, we may ask doc re this.

Question: do any of u tic more when eating sweets?

Question- also- if it is glucose dysregulation, then how does this fit in with other lab results such as high arabinose(yeast- which is possible to see a connection there with the araabinose- but also low arachidonic acid, high linoleic acid.and antibodies to casein in the gut--thanks- once again, trying to piece the puzzle together, limpia

[Chemar]

Hi Limpia....

yes, my son also has to watch his sugar intake re tics....although artificial sweeteners are what really elevate his tics more than the turbinado sugar that we use exclusively

I cant answer the other pieces of your puzzle chemically...maybe mrsD will be able to shed some light there for you

Happy New Year!

[Tessa]

limpia,

How did you figure out the casein gut antibody? Just curious.

Mrs. D or *FJ will know more about your questions.

Take care,
Tessa

[mrsD]

Where OCD is...I'd wonder about impaired glucose utilization, and poor
inositol levels. Inositol really improves glucose use in the brain.

But also, sugar jolts, cause sudden rises in insulin, which then has a negative
impact on EFA metabolism. This is why high sugar loads, lead to more hunger.
And constant sugar consumption can impair the whole EFA sequence. Isolated intakes less so.

Also the "crash" when the sugar is removed suddenly from the blood, leads to all sorts of
negative feelings. Sugar itself doesn't last long in the body after absorption.
That is sugar combined with low fiber intake...cake, icing, cookies, candies.
Some sweet following a large meal can turn off hunger..that is why we have desserts (but they are diluted with the full meal that way).. Also sweets before bedtime, release some serotonin and that helps some people sleep. But I have found at least for me, that high glycemic carbs, or candy actually stimulate hunger, an hour or so down the road. If I keep it very low, like 10 M & M's, or a cup of cocoa (70cal), it is less of an issue--I try not to go over 100 cal doing this). As we age, we old folks feel low blood sugar more acutely than kids do.
I find after a long hard day, driving home in the dark, tired, that those 10 M&M's (the new dark variety) wake me up a bit and improve my driving skills.
Any more and it is awful, and none, is pretty grim too! So now you know my "secret"?

Sugars in fruits are hidden in the fiber, so they have a longer onset, and
less of a up/down impact. So drinking juice is more problematic than eating an orange or apple.

[homer]

hi Chemar, Mrs. D and Tessa-

Tessa- about 8 years ago or so, Dr. Cade, of the University of Florida did a study in which he tested people with schizophrenia , autism ts for rast values(IgG?) and also for IgAto casein and gluten. I just now pulled out the paperwork which have the u of florida mentioned at the top and cade and a Dr. Privette mentioned on the bottom. But I dont think they ever published this research because I never heard about it, nor could I find an abstract on Pubmed. however, if u google it u will find press articles re it. (strange)
However, the numbers on the sheet i received tell me that my son's values for casein antibodies, which are formed by the blood , according to notes i took at the time , were5676,and gluten- 1091which they said were significant. The IgA results are significant for only casein, but not for gluten. Do these figures or tests make sense to anyone? I heard about this research thru this website and although i dont live in florida, I arranged to have the blood taken here and sent there.Our pediatrician looked at these results and felt they were not at all significant.

Mrs. D- i still am confused re his increased ticcing due to sugar and what it can mean!

[Lara]

limpia, is your son on autism spectrum? Just curious, 'cause my son is. You'll probably find more info. if you look in autism areas online. I'm running out of time here tonight, and must go, but I found some info. from Cade. The one I was looking for I just can't find right now, but it's probably there somewhere. (he is the person who invented Gatorade??? -- Dr. Robert Cade at the University of Florida, Gainesville)

Anyway, here's a little of what I found. I didn't come across any mention of Tourette Syndrome in what I have been sifting through right now. Many references to his work, but a little difficult to find.

http://aut.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/3/1/67

more articles by Privett and Sun on that page too.

Autism, Vol. 3, No. 1, 67-83 (1999)
DOI: 10.1177/1362361399003001006
© 1999 The National Autistic Society, SAGE Publications
ß-Casomorphin Induces Fos-Like Immunoreactivity in Discrete Brain Regions Relevant to Schizophrenia and Autism
Zhongjie Sun
J. Robert Cade
Melvin J. Fregly
R. Malcolm Privette

The induction of Fos-like immunoreactivity (FLI) was used to determine the brain localization affected by b-casomorphin-7 (b-CM7). Peripheral administration of human b-CM7 at different doses (5, 10 and 30 mg/kg, IV for 1 hour) to rats induced moderate to strong FLI in discrete brain regions including the nucleus accumbens, caudate putamen, ventral tegmental and median raphe nucleus, and orbitofrontal, prefrontal, parietal, temporal, occipital and entorhinal cortex. All of the above areas have been shown to be altered either functionally or anatomically in patients with schizophrenia, and most have been shown to be functionally abnormal in autism. Some of these brain areas are originators or components of dopaminergic, serotoninergic and GABA-ergic pathways, suggesting that b-CM7 can affect the function of all of these systems. The role of some other affected areas in emotional and motivated behavior, social adaptation, hallucinations and delusions suggests that b-CM7, which was found in high concentration in the CSF, blood and urine of patients with either schizophrenia or autism, may be relevant to schizophrenia and autism. Induction of FLI in the above brain areas by a moderate dose (10 mg/kg) of b-CM7 was attenuated significantly, or blocked, by pretreatment with naloxone (2 mg/kg, IP). It is concluded that human b-CM7 can cross the blood-brain barrier, activate opioid receptors and affect brain regions similar to those affected by schizophrenia and autism.

Key Words: autism • brain • casomorphin • Fos • gene • naloxone • schizophrenia

Cade R, Privette M, Fregly M, Rowland N, Sun Z, Zele V, Wagemaker H, Edlestein C: Autism and schizophrenia: intestinal disorders. Nutritional Neuroscience 3: 57-72, 2000. [No abstract available]

Protein uptake expressed as increased IgA antibodies against food proteins in serum is also increased in coeliac disease and is also found in autistic children (Reichelt et al., 1990 and 1991; Lucarelli et al., 1995; Cade et al., 2000)
http://www.awares.org/conferences/sh...0&full_paper=1
Autistic syndromes and diet : a reasonable connection
Full paper

Biology
Dr Karl Reichelt
University of Oslo, Norway

Might be something more in Neurodiversity. Out of time here... gotta dash.
http://www.neurodiversity.com/psychosis
http://www.neurodiversity.com/biomedical.html

Good search page.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&l...hin+induces%22

[homer]

thanks lara- i will need time to look at this- my son is ts and adhd-limpia

[mrsD]

It appears in the literature...that glucose stimulates dopamine release:
http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=15007399

And that the inverse, is also true:
http://www.nature.com/npp/journal/v2.../1395477a.html

What appears to me is that this is a very complex question with very
complex answers. But basically it appears to me that the body has
ways to respond to metabolic changes. And since TS involves dopamine primarily, this would be affected.

Dopamine is a "reward" neurotransmitter... it signals pleasure. So we would be programed to respond to sugar with pleasure. In TS patients there is an error
in dopamine use and hence TSers react differently than others. But even in
non TS patients, sugar is alerting, and energy providing. I see people at work consuming Arizona Teas with 400 calories of SUGAR to get thru their day.
I drink water and eat a Detour or Zone bar for my snacks if I need them. ( I reserve a small amount of sugar for emergency use only, not as part of my daily diet intake). When I am very fatigued, and at the END of my rope, that is when I have a little sugar treat.
This is different than drinking sugar all day long, like some people I know, just to function at all.

The papers above are very hard to understand. And the reward aspect of dopamine is just becoming understood (based on the studies of methamphetamine abuse). Dopamine rewards video game players, and gamblers, and sexual attraction. Things that stimulate dopamine release, like amphetamines also cause tics. Sugar certainly falls into that category of "reward". Babies, will turn to sugar water more reliably than plain water. So that drive is present at birth. Many children without TS become very hyper on sugar consumption...this a common observation by many parents.

So high sugar would be affecting TS for some patients. Also the sudden drop in sugar levels then produce stress, which is also a dopamine releaser...so you are caught both ways!

[homer]

thanks Mrs.D- i need to think-
one idea re your last paragraph- provide ourselves with steady allday-everyday sugar so as to avoid the drop in sugar!!::icon_wink:

[Lara]

Just as a point of interest... I've often seen hypoglycemia listed as being a possible cause of tic disorders as opposed to Tourette Syndrome. (a symptom I guess). I've also seen it in lists of what should be ruled out when a person develops problematic tics.

http://www.aafp.org/afp/990415ap/2263.html
Recognition and Management of Tourette's Syndrome and Tic Disorders
Pagheri, Kerbeshian and Burd.

TABLE 5
Secondary Causes of Tic Disorders

Primary neurologic disorders manifesting tics

Acquired
Head trauma
Encephalitis
Stroke
Sydenham's chorea
Carbon monoxide poisoning
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
Neurosyphilis
Hypoglycemia

http://www.postgradmed.com/issues/20...00/pn_tics.htm

Tics and Tourette's syndrome
VOL 108 / NO 5 / OCTOBER 2000 / POSTGRADUATE MEDICINE

"When should you be concerned about tics?

Several motor tics and one or more vocal tics that can't be explained by other medical conditions, such as seizures or very low blood sugar in a child with diabetes"

_____________

My son used to get really hyperactive when he was younger and had too much sugar. Birthday parties at other people's homes used to be a nightmare. All sugar and fat! ugh. I notice my daughter gets really, really grumpy if her blood sugar falls ... usually late afternoon. They both do well if they get decent sleep and if they graze on food during the day rather than consume heavy or large meals. I'm the same although I tend to really crave sugar all the time which is a problem.

Back to the subject of casein. I was concerned that my son had some type of allergy to something in the milk and switched to A2 milk... then more recenly I found out that the A2 milk was a bit of a media-hype and probably doesn't really have the benefits it was marketed as having. I'm not 100% sure about all that A2 business yet. Anyway, he used to crave milk. Was hard to stop him drinking it. This always worried me... the craving part. I tend to crave things my body can do without. Anyway, I was more concerned with his gut really than his tics. (he is on autism spectrum but was also diag. with TS, ADHD, OCD) He didn't seem to find it any different from regular milk. I'm glad he drinks mainly water these days though.