Do you know the sentence that physicians hate the most? It’s “I did my own research.” Especially these days, when the United States government is dedicated to disinformation, most people will not find the truth by random searches on the Internet. Internet searching is not research. That’s why I’m always encouraging parents to talk to their pediatricians for information that is most likely to be reliable, safe, and authoritative. In fact, good researchers try to discover the truth without insisting that their conclusions are right. Nevertheless, researchers are still doing good science that improves our lives. With the understanding that what I am going to tell you is very new and needs to be validated by larger studies, I am excited to present the results of a study that I read about in the July 2026 Pediatric News.

James B. Adams, PhD, is a lead investigator at Arizona State University. His team looked at something called microbially derived metabolites, which are substances that bacteria make. The investigators collected urine from children with autism spectrum disorder and measured the amount of these microbially derived metabolites (MDM’s). Professor Adams published his findings in the peer-reviewed journal Molecular Psychiatry. He found elevated levels of MDM’s in up to 90 percent of children with autism but not in children not diagnosed with autism. He stated, “We’re saying we now have a test which says these kids with autism have high levels of microbial metabolites, some of which we know are harmful, and others which we suspect are harmful.”

This research is important because we know that identifying children with autism and beginning interventions early can reduce symptoms and improve outcomes. While there is probably an interplay of genetic and environmental factors that cause autism, it looks like there is a significant relationship between intestinal problems and the brain. Studies using mice suggest that transplanting bacteria from healthy subjects can improve behaviors and probably reduce the levels of MDM’s. Since testing urine is easy to do and not expensive, a test that is almost 100% accurate would go a long way to improving diagnosis and treatment of autism.

This test is not yet available in the United States, but it is being used in the United Kingdom. I am hoping we will soon be hearing a lot about this test as a routine study for children two years of age and older, and treating the causes of harmful metabolites should not be far off.

Robert B. Golenbock, MD, is currently retired. He has cared for children in the Danbury area for 43 years, including at the Center for Pediatric Medicine. The CPM is located at 107 Newtown Rd, #1D, Danbury, CT, 06810. For more information, please call (203) 790-0822 or visit their website at https://centerforpediatricmedct.com.