pdf: Nutritional and Metabolic Status of Children with Autism vs. Neurotypical Children, and the Association with Autism Severity

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Nutritional and Metabolic Status of Children with Autism vs.

Neurotypical Children, and the Association with Autism Severity.

<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21651783>

JB, Audhya T, McDonough-Means S, Rubin RA, Quig D, Geis E, Gehn E,

Loresto M, J, Atwood S, Barnhouse S, Lee W.

Nutr Metab (Lond). 2011 Jun 8;8(1):34.

http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/8/1/34/abstract

Background

The relationship between relative metabolic disturbances and

developmental disorders is an emerging research focus. This study

compares the nutritional and metabolic status of children with autism

with that of neurotypical children and investigates the possible

association of autism severity with biomarkers.

Method

Participants were children ages 5-16 years in Arizona with Autistic

Spectrum Disorder (n=55) compared with non-sibling, neurotypical

controls (n=44) of similar age, gender and geographical distribution.

Neither group had taken any vitamin/mineral supplements in the two

months prior to sample collection. Autism severity was assessed using

the Pervasive Development Disorder Behavior Inventory (PDD-BI), Autism

Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC), and Severity of Autism Scale

(SAS). Study measurements included: vitamins, biomarkers of vitamin

status, minerals, plasma amino acids, plasma glutathione, and biomarkers

of oxidative stress, methylation, sulfation and energy production.

Results

Biomarkers of children with autism compared to those of controls using a

t-test or Wilcoxon test found the following statistically significant

differences (p<0.001): Low levels of biotin, plasma glutathione, RBC

SAM, plasma uridine, plasma ATP, RBC NADH, RBC NADPH, plasma sulfate

(free and total), and plasma tryptophan; also high levels of oxidative

stress markers and plasma glutamate. Levels of biomarkers for the

neurotypical controls were in good agreement with accessed published

reference ranges. In the Autism group, mean levels of vitamins,

minerals, and most amino acids commonly measured in clinical care were

within published reference ranges. A stepwise, multiple linear

regression analysis demonstrated significant associations between

several groups of biomarkers with all three autism severity scales,

including vitamins (adjusted R2 of 0.25-0.57), minerals (adj. R2 of

0.22-0.38), and plasma amino acids (adj. R2 of 0.22-0.39).

Conclusion

The autism group had many statistically significant differences in their

nutritional and metabolic status, including biomarkers indicative of

vitamin insufficiency, increased oxidative stress, reduced capacity for

energy transport, sulfation and detoxification. Several of the biomarker

groups were significantly associated with variations in the severity of

autism. These nutritional and metabolic differences are generally in

agreement with other published results and are likely amenable to

nutritional supplementation. Research investigating treatment and its

relationship to the co-morbidities and etiology of autism is warranted.