Some people with autism test allergic to many foods and others test allergic to no foods. Like penicillin allergy and nickel allergy the lutein allergy will not show up as an antibody response. It is a hapten-type immune reaction. Laboratory findings often include that people with autism are not breaking down their foods properly and research does include reported findings that simply adding enzymes which result in the breakdown of foods can reduce food allergies and render the amino acids and micronutrients available whereas when these are not broken down the food particles can act as immune-triggering pathogenic substances. Enzymes used to break down foods to free-form amino acids and micronutrients are not the same as the enzymes which utilize the food by-products during biochemical processes. How enzymes are regulated in each and every individual is determined by a combination of our genetics and the immunogenetic integration of information that starts with the fetal environment. Once the immune system has made a selection of a non-self pathogen the work begins to alter the mRNA of the individual to accommodate the recognition of the pathogen. This results in changes to our genes whereby simple amino acids are deleted, rearranged or changed to the opposite form,  for example from L-tryptophan to D-tryptophan. Simple changes like these are impossible to locate during genetic screening. These are the same type of arrangements which determine where we might have a freckle or pigment spot when we are born.
  Lutein, as a by-product from plant foods, acts as a pathogen once it has been separated from the plant proteins, oils, sugars, formic acid, aldehyde, terpenes and other metabolites. Many immune cells have a lifespan of four months, therefore it is prudent to identify and remove the offending foods for at least four months. This allows the immune cells time to die off and the immune system to calm down. This includes removal of foods which can result in antibodies to gluten, gliadin and casein - it may be as long as 28 weeks before antibodies to these foods and peptide levels are reduced significantly. The foods capable of producing this type of immune reaction include: gluten - wheat, rye, barley, some legumes and nuts and a trace amount from oats, gliadin – wheat and rye only; the dairy protein casein and also sometimes from human milk and some goat milk products.
  If the family has already come through the GF and/or CF trial and found no particular benefit from this restriction then I still recommend regulating the intake of protein and this includes restricted use of high dairy protein products such as hard cheeses and low fat milk. I suggest using the dairy products which are higher in fat content especially for those also with epilepsy. Thus a return of full fat yogurt, butter, parmesan, whipped cream and full fat cream cheese is not uncommon with those choosing the lutein-free diet. Whenever possible a yoghurt containing bifido bacterium. Some people use Colostrum which contains Bifidus bacterium and this is the bacterium that naturally thrives on phenols. For gluten and gliadin food sources it varies considerably. At the very least I recommend that whole wheat and or rye products should not be more than 20% of the overall grain intake. About one serving every other day at most. Wheat causes calcium and protein flushing and most wheat products provide relatively few nutrients and are made with active yeast.

Little is understood about the complicated relationship of the gut flora and metabolic activity in the autist and this includes bacteria, fungi, yeasts and viruses. Eradicating gut flora without adequate knowledge of how and why the gut bacteria may be different in this population or any individual can  result in elimination of a natural source of some metabolic activity. Gut bacteria which is not causing severe symptoms might better be left alone until nutrient support from diet and supplements are in place. The same cannot be said for damaging bacteria, viruses and yeast. The damage to the GI tract from candida albicans and similar yeasts cannot be overemphasized. However, the radical therapies and elimination of additional gut flora during some therapy may result in adverse events equally as disturbing as the damage being caused by the yeast. I have seen in lab work that the yeast can naturally be eliminated and controlled with diet. As the diet improves the metal toxins are being removed by improved pathways and the yeast is no longer needed. Natural antifungal foods support this process. Some antifungals should not be used and these include sage oil and oregano oil. For those who have experienced antibiotic usage it is wise to consider testing and an antifungal medication also. Chelation therapy can be dangerous and it may be that the yeast are less dangerous than some medical treatments. Simple chelation therapies through an experienced practitioner are well worth the cost and time involved. Be sure and ask for the potential harmful effects from the method selected. If possible choose a practitioner who has experience with clients with autism. Autists do not always respond to medical treatments in the same way as the general population.

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