Saeid Doaei1,2, Fatemeh Bourbour3, Zohreh Teymoori4, Faranak Jafari5, Naser Kalantari6, Saheb Abbas Torki7, Narges Ashoori3, Shiva Nemat Gorgani1, Maryam Gholamalizadeh8. 1. National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 2. Research Center of Health and Environment, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran. 3. Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Research Institute Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran. 4. Roudehen Islamic Azad University, Roudehen, Iran. 5. Department of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran. 6. Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 7. Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. 8. Student Research Committee, Cancer Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Some studies reported that essential fatty acids deficiencies can be related to autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in children. This study aimed to investigate the effect of omega-3 on social, verbal, and behavioral activities in ASD children. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A double-blind, randomized clinical trial study was conducted on 54 children with autism, who were assigned to the case (n = 28) and control (n = 26) groups. The cases received one capsule of 1000 mg omega-3 daily and the controls received one capsule of 1000 mg medium chain triglyceride daily as placebo for eight weeks. The Gilliam Autism Rating Scale-second edition (GARS-2) was used to assess the severity of autism and food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to assess their dietary intake. All measurements were done at baseline and after the intervention. RESULTS: After adjusting for age, gender, birth weight, BMI, dietary intake, mother's age, and mother's BMI, the intervention group had significantly improved stereotyped behaviors (p = 0.02), social communication (p = 0.02), and the GARS score (p = 0.001) after the intervention compared to the control group. No significant change was found in the score of social interaction subscale. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that omega-3 treatment improved autism characteristics including stereotyped behaviors and social communication. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and to determine the underlying mechanisms.
RCT Entities:
INTRODUCTION: Some studies reported that essential fatty acids deficiencies can be related to autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in children. This study aimed to investigate the effect of omega-3 on social, verbal, and behavioral activities in ASD children. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A double-blind, randomized clinical trial study was conducted on 54 children with autism, who were assigned to the case (n = 28) and control (n = 26) groups. The cases received one capsule of 1000 mg omega-3 daily and the controls received one capsule of 1000 mg medium chain triglyceride daily as placebo for eight weeks. The Gilliam Autism Rating Scale-second edition (GARS-2) was used to assess the severity of autism and food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to assess their dietary intake. All measurements were done at baseline and after the intervention. RESULTS: After adjusting for age, gender, birth weight, BMI, dietary intake, mother's age, and mother's BMI, the intervention group had significantly improved stereotyped behaviors (p = 0.02), social communication (p = 0.02), and the GARS score (p = 0.001) after the intervention compared to the control group. No significant change was found in the score of social interaction subscale. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that omega-3 treatment improved autism characteristics including stereotyped behaviors and social communication. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and to determine the underlying mechanisms.