Gliadorphin (peptide from wheat) and Casomorphin (peptide from dairy)

Specimen Requirements

10 mL of first morning urine before food and drink is preferred. The patient must discontinue soy proteins one week prior to collection of specimen (soy bean oil and soy lecithin are considered acceptable).

Casomorphin is a peptide derived from the milk protein casein. Casein is one of the major proteins in the milk of all mammals including cows, goats, and humans.

Dr. Reichelt in Norway, Dr. Cade at the University of Florida, and others found that urine samples from people with autism, PDD, celiac disease and schizophrenia contained high amounts of the casomorphin peptide. These peptides could also be elevated in other disorders such as chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and depression based on anecdotal reports of symptom remission after exclusion of wheat and dairy.

What is Gliadorphin?

Gliadorphin (or gluteomorphin) is a peptide derived from the wheat protein gluten. Other related grains such as rye, barley and oats also contain the sequence of amino acids found in gluten. Gliadorphin is very similar to casomorphin. Gliadorphin has been verified by mass spectrometry techniques to be present in urine samples of children with autism. Both casomorphin and gliadorphin are composed of seven amino acids, which are abbreviated below. Both caseomorphin and gliadorphin start with the beginning N-terminal sequence tyr-pro (for tyrosine and proline) and the additional pro (proline) in positions 4 and 6 of both peptides, as indicated below.