Autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that lacks a satisfactory cure and requires long-term management. As a result, parents of children with ASD often resort to complementary and alternative therapies, the most common being dietary interventions, such as nutritional supplements and medical foods, to alleviate their child’s ASD symptoms.
This post explains different possible nutritional supplements for autism symptoms, including vitamins, minerals, probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics, that help manage the symptoms. Use the links below to jump ahead to different topics on the page.
Nutrient Deficiencies in ASD Children
The relationship between nutrition and ASD symptoms is complex. Children with ASD often show food selectivity, limited food intake, and behavioral problems during mealtimes. Food selectivity includes limited food choices, selective intake of some foods, excessive consumption of some foods, and the rejection of other foods.
The elevated risk of developing eating disorders often predisposes children with ASD to nutritional deficiencies. In a 2023 study assessing the nutritional intake and adequacy in children with ASD and typically developing (TD) children, it was found that:
- Preschool children with ASD symptoms had a slightly lower intake of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and vitamins D and B12.
- Primary school children with ASD symptoms had a slightly higher intake of protein, cholesterol, thiamine, and niacin and showed a higher percentage of obesity than TD children.
The study concluded that although both groupshad a significantly inadequate intake of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, children with ASD had overall poorer diet quality.1 The nutritional deficiencies resulting from such inadequate diets may directly or indirectly influence the exacerbation ofsymptoms of ASD.
Common Nutritional Supplements for Autism
A cross-sectional study of 210 participants aged 4-17 years with ASD found that multi-vitamins, vitamin D, omega-3s, probiotics, and magnesium are the most common nutritional supplements for autism. Other nutritional supplements, such as sodium butyrate, alpha-lipoic acid, selenium, adrenal cortex extract, milk thistle, cannabidiol, melatonin, and liposomal curcumin, are also used to alleviate ASD symptoms. The study assessed the key parental reasons for providing nutritional supplementation to children with ASD:
- Enhancing the child’s diet.
- Promoting immune system function.
- Increasing quality and duration of sleep.
- Improving gut health.
The following table highlights how the most common nutritional supplements for autism help fill the nutritional gaps in an ASD child’s diet.
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Common Nutritional Supplements for Autism |
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Gut Health Supplements for ASD
A significant number of children with ASD struggle with gastrointestinal discomfort, including indigestion, constipation, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. with ASD have variable gut bacterial diversity. Gut microbiota affects brain physiology through differential metabolites, such as SCFAs, ammonia, and p-cresol.
Supplementing the microbiota-gut-brain axis with probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics can help alleviate ASD symptoms. Research indicates that gut health supplements can help relieve gastrointestinal disturbances and behavioral issues in children with ASD.2
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Probiotics, Prebiotics, and Postbiotics for ASD |
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| Probiotics: These are live microorganisms, usually beneficial bacteria, that support the growth of the microbial community in the GI tract. Food sources containing probiotics include fermented foods such as kimchi and high-quality plain yogurt, which contain healthy bacterial strains. |
| Prebiotics: The beneficial bacteria in the gut feed on prebiotics for growth. Examples of prebiotic foods include soybeans, legumes, raw oats, and high-fiber fruits and vegetables. |
| Postbiotics: These are the bacterial products or metabolic byproducts produced by gut microbes during the anaerobic fermentation of organic nutrients. Short-chain fatty acids (butyric acid), certain vitamins, amino acids, and enzymes are examples of postbiotics. |
Butyric Acid Supplementation to Address ASD Symptoms
The benefits of butyric acid on gastrointestinal health are well known. This short-chain fatty acid the gut microbiome produces beneficially influences intestinal cells, adipose (fatty) tissues, hepatocytes, pancreatic cells, and blood vessels through several signaling pathways. Some of the critical gut health benefits of butyrate include:
- Metabolic regulation: Butyrate protects against dehydration by stimulating the colon to absorb sodium chloride.*3.
- Stimulating intestinal barrier function: Butyrate stimulates mucin production by colonocytes, which acts as a protective internal coating in the GI tract.*
- Immunomodulation: Butyrate modulates the migration of immune cells and their cellular functions to influence immune responses in the intestinal mucosa.*4
- Enhancing intestinal motility: Butyrate enhances colonic motility — the peristaltic motion of the intestine.*
- Addressing oxidative stress: Studies show that butyrate decreases oxidative stress in the colonic mucosa.*
The following table highlights two reports that describe the benefits of butyric acid supplementation to address ASD symptoms.
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Studies Supporting Butyric Acid Supplementation to Address ASD Symptoms |
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| Effect of Sodium Butyrate in the BTBR Autism Mouse Model: A 2016 study assessing the effects of sodium butyrate on social and repetitive behaviors in mice found that sodium butyrate supplementation induced changes in several behavior-related genes in the prefrontal cortex of the brain.5 It particularly affected the genes involved in neuronal excitation/inhibition. The transcription modulation by sodium butyrate suggests its potential beneficial effects on autism-related behaviors. | |
| Effects of sodium butyrate to alleviate Hypothalmic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis Hyperactivity in Autism-Like Rats: In a 2023 study on a prenatal lipopolysaccharide-exposed rat model of ASD, the rat model exhibited lower SCFA concentrations and overactivation of HPA axis.6 Treatment with sodium butyrate helped regulate the HPA axis and improved anxiety and social deficit behaviors in LPS-exposed offspring. |
Advanced Supplementation Formulas for ASD
Not all supplementation formulas for ASD are created equal. Formulations that utilize advanced nutrient delivery systems enhance the absorption and bioavailability of nutrients. Nutritional supplements and medical foods cannot achieve the advantages of complementary therapies without the optimal solubility and bioavailability of active nutrients.
Tesseract Medical Research has developed various nutritional supplement and medical food formulations that promote and benefit various health functions. Tesseract’s proprietary CyLoc® – DexKey® nutrient delivery nanotechnology enables maximum bioavailability of nutrients to achieve their health-promoting benefits. CyLoc® technology envelopes each active nutrient molecule in its smart delivery system to protect the molecule’s integrity during transit through the stomach. CyLoc technology also masks the unpalatable taste and odor of specific nutrient molecules. The accompanying DexKey® technology releases the nutrient molecules at the desired point in the intestinal tract to optimize their absorption.
The unprecedented absorption of active nutrients translates to optimal bioavailability, which enables micro-dosing of the formulation’s nutrients. This means a lesser amount of nutrients is needed than previously required to achieve the desired therapeutic outcome.
Tesseract’s AuRx® is an advanced butyric acid formulation that addresses a specific nutritional requirement of children with ASD. This hypoallergenic medical food is a stabilized butyric acid complex that provides nutritional support to counteract the gut-brain nutrient imbalance in an ASD child. AuRx opens up the possibility of alleviating behavioral changes faced by children with ASD.
Frequently Asked Questions About Nutritional Supplementation for Autism
The following are frequently asked questions (FAQs) about nutritional supplementation for autism.
How do we determine the most promising supplementation options for ASD?
There is no ‘one-solution-fits-all’ to address the nutritional requirements of ASD. It is always recommended to consult a healthcare provider to assess any nutritional deficiencies in your child before considering supplementation options that might help alleviate ASD symptoms.
When should I start a dietary intervention for my child exhibiting ASD symptoms?
While earlier dietary intervention might be ideal for managing ASD symptoms, you should always consult your child’s healthcare provider to determine the dosages, side effects, and potential contraindications of any dietary intervention, including nutritional supplements and medical foods.
What should I look for when selecting a nutritional supplement or a medical food for autism?
The efficacy of a nutritional supplement or a medical food depends on the active nutrients in the formulation and their optimal absorption and bioavailability. When considering either a nutritional supplement or a medical food for autism, you should always look for the desired ingredient being the active nutrient in the formulation and an advanced nutrient delivery technology that ensures the optimal absorption and bioavailability of the active ingredient to ensure it achieves its health-promoting benefits.
The power of Tesseract supplements lies in enhancing palatability, maximizing solubility, bioavailability, and absorption, and micro-dosing multiple nutrients in a single, highly effective capsule. Shop products on our website and learn more about how they support neurological health.*
References:
1Arija V, et al. Nutrient intake and adequacy in children with autism spectrum disorder: EPINED epidemiological study. Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice vol. 27,2 (2023):371-388. doi:10.1177/13623613221098237
2Feng P, et al. A review of probiotics in the treatment of autism spectrum disorders: Perspectives from the gut-brain axis. Frontiers in Microbiology vol. 14 1123462. 16 Mar. 2023, doi:10.3389/fmicb.2023.1123462
3Canani RB, et al. Gastroenterology vol. 127,2 (2004):63063-63064. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2004.03.071
4Siddiqui MT, Gail AMC. Journal of Inflammation Research vol. 14 6025-6041. 18 Nov. 2021, doi:10.2147/JIR.S300989
5Kratsman N, et al. Sodium butyrate attenuates social behavior deficits and modifies the transcription of inhibitory/excitatory genes in the frontal cortex of an autism model. Neuropharmacology vol. 102 (2016):136-145. doi:10.1016/j.neuropharm.2015.11.003
6Wang X, et al. Sodium butyrate facilitates CRHR2 expression to alleviate HPA axis hyperactivity in autism-like rats induced by prenatal lipopolysaccharides through histone deacetylase inhibition. mSystems vol. 8,4 (2023): e0041523. doi:10.1128/msystems.00415-23
