Abstract
Background
Autism spectrum disorder is associated with significant social and financial burden
and no definite treatment for this entity has been identified, yet. In recent years
there has been an increasing interest in the use of dietary interventions as a complementary
therapeutic option for these patients.
Objective
The aim of this systematic review is to provide high evidence level literature data
about the effect of dietary supplements on clinical aspects of children with autism.
Methods
A comprehensive literature search was conducted using Pubmed as the medical database
source. Randomized controlled trials conducted in pediatric populations and including
measures of clinical outcomes were considered.
Results
A total of 17 eligible prospective studies were selected. Types of dietary supplements
evaluated in these studies included amino acids, fatty acids and vitamins/minerals.
N-acetylcysteine was shown to exert a beneficial effect on symptoms of irritability.
On the other hand, literature data about the efficacy of d-cycloserine and pyridoxine-magnesium supplements was controversial. No significant
effect was identified for fatty acids, N,N-dimethylglycine and inositol. Literature
data about ascorbic acid and methyl B12 was few, although some encouraging results
were found. No serious adverse events were reported in the vast majority of the studies,
while the prevalence of adverse reactions was similar between treatment and placebo
groups.
Conclusions
The use of dietary supplements in children with autism seems to be a safe practice
with encouraging data about their clinical efficacy. More studies are needed to further
investigate this issue.
Abbreviation:
ASD (autism spectrum disorder)Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 21, 2017
Accepted:
March 31,
2017
Received in revised form:
March 27,
2017
Received:
February 12,
2017
Identification
Copyright
© 2017 The Japanese Society of Child Neurology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
