AZEVEDO, S. S. D.; AZEVEDO, Schirlene Sheila Dantas de.
Abstract:
The nutritional approach with restriction diets is presented as an alternative in the
complementary treatment of children and adolescents with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD),
although the evidence supporting its use is still scarce and limited. In this perspective, the
objective of this integrative review was to investigate, in the literature of the last ten years, the
effectiveness of the nutritional approach with restriction diets in the treatment of children with
autism spectrum disorder. The collection of studies included in this review took place through
online electronic research on PubMed, SciELO, Medline, Lilacs and Google Scholar search
platforms, with the aim of collecting national and international scientific articles published
between 2012 and 2022. The terms used for the research were autism, autism spectrum disorder,
restrictive diet, gluten-free, casein and soy, and their respective translations into Portuguese and
Spanish. Nine studies were included, which met the proposed inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Most of these studies focused on investigating the effectiveness of the Gluten-Free and Casein-
Free Diet (SGSC), but there was heterogeneity in the interventions used. Although some studies
indicate positive results in the use of this approach, it was not possible to establish its
effectiveness in the treatment of ASD, considering that they have many limitations regarding
their methodology. Therefore, more high-quality studies are needed, with larger samples, longer
intervention time and tracking the presence of celiac disease and food allergies in participants.
