Nutritional Deficiencies Enhances Severity of Autism

The relationship between relative metabolic disturbances and developmental disorders is an emerging research focus. A study from the August issue of Nutrition and Metabolism 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.

Neither group had taken any vitamin/mineral supplements in the two months prior to sample collection. Study measurements included: vitamins, biomarkers of vitamin status, minerals, plasma amino acids, plasma glutathione, and biomarkers of oxidative stress, methylation, sulfation and energy production.

Many significant differences were observed in the autism group compared to the neurotypical group, including low levels of biotin (B-vitamin), glutathione (promotes detoxification), SAM (S-adenyl-methionine), uridine (amino acid), ATP (mitochondrial precursor), NADH (mitochondrial precursor), sulfate, and tryptophan (brain neurotransmitter); and high levels of oxidative stress markers and glutamate (exacerbated by excitotoxins like monosodium glutamate MSG). The study also replicated previous findings of very low lithium in children with ASD.

Overall, it appears that children with autism do have many abnormalities in their nutritional and metabolic status. The underlying causal relationships of these abnormalities are not yet well understood. An important issue in the clinical care of ASD children is that biomarkers for oxidative stress, methylation, sulfation were very abnormal, suggesting that those other biomarkers can be important guides for treatment. The regression analysis also found that some vitamins, minerals, amino acids are significantly associated with variations in the severity of autism, with vitamins being especially important. The researchers hypothesize that support for these nutritional and metabolic problems by increasing nutrient intake may reduce the symptoms and co-morbidities that are associated with autism. These nutritional and metabolic dysfunctions may be related to the etiology of autism.