Welcome back to the Analutos blog. This month we’re talking about vitamins, minerals, nutrients and autism, a topic which has been of some interest to us for quite a few years. For those of you who might not know, autism is a developmental condition, diagnosed in the presence of core issues in social-communication and restricted and/or repetitive behaviours, significantly affecting day-to-day functioning. It’s described as a spectrum because of the huge heterogeneity (variability) in abilities and disabilities that it includes. Someone once famously said that ‘if you’ve met one autistic person, you’ve met one autistic person’ which kind of sums up how many differences there can be in the presentation of autism.
Autism and diet
In amongst the huge research interest that autism creates, there’s quite a bit of study focussed on how the symptoms or characteristics of autism can potentially place someone at greater risk for various health issues [1]. We’re specifically talking about vitamins, minerals and nutrients, and in particular, how several vital nutrients seem to be typically lower in those diagnosed with autism than other non-autistic populations. The reasons for such differences are still not yet fully understood. For some, nutritional deficiencies are connected to feeding and eating issues that can accompany autism. For others, it seems like there may be more primary genetic or biological issues that might be over-represented alongside a diagnosis of autism.
So what are the main vitamins, minerals and nutrients that seem to show a connection to autism? Well, there’s a few. Let’s start with vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid). Most commonly associated with the consumption of oranges, vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that the body cannot produce on its own. That means we have to get it from our diet. Vitamin C is used for all-manner of different things in the body including making collagen, the manufacture of various neurotransmitters (chemicals that are involved in mood and behaviour) and other nutrients such as L-carnitine (we’ll come back to this shortly). If you don’t have enough vitamin C in your diet, you end up deficient, and a deficiency of vitamin C can be really serious. Ever heard of something called scurvy? It’s what sailors used to get on long sea voyages when they didn’t consume enough foods with vitamin C in them. Thought to be a disease of the past, scurvy is making a comeback, and on several occasions, the classic signs of scurvy like bleeding gums, joint and walking problems and poor wound healing are cropping up alongside a diagnosis of autism [2]. The good news is that once identified, vitamin C supplementation can reverse a lot of these often uncomfortable and painful issues.
Next up is another important vitamin called calciferol or, as you might know it better, vitamin D. Vitamin D is a bit of an odd compound because it could actually be called a hormone instead of just a vitamin such is its usefulness in the body. Adequate supplies of vitamin D usually ward off bone problems such as rickets but more and more, science is discovering other uses for vitamin D in the body such as in processes related to immune function and even potentially, our psychological health and wellbeing. There’s a surprisingly long history of research connecting autism and vitamin D [3]. In some cases, studies have suggested that low maternal vitamin D might be a factor increasing the likelihood of children being subsequently diagnosed with autism. In other cases, there’s research suggesting that autistic people may be more prone to vitamin D deficiency (and insufficiency) for various reasons including less sunlight exposure, and various genetic and biological differences. The good thing is that science can once again measure for levels of vitamin D, and supplementation can help restore low levels of this sunshine hormone.
Moving on, there’s quite a lot of interest in a class of vitamins called the B vitamins with autism mind. We’re not going to bore you with all the details of all the B vitamins, but things like vitamin B9 also known as folic acid and vitamin B6 are some of the B vitamins with a suggested connection to at least some autism. Yet again, it’s all about identifying the deficiency and providing a suitable supplementation programme to correct any nutritional intake problems.
There’s a variety of other nutrients that also seem to regularly crop up in research and clinical practice circles where autism is present. We’ve already mentioned L-carnitine, which is a nutrient that has a lot to do with the way the body makes and utilises energy. Interestingly, studies of supplementing L-carnitine in the context of autism have suggested some important changes could be had [4]. Alongside, various other nutrients such as selenium, magnesium and molybdenum have also provided some interesting connections to some autism and continue to interest. And we’ve not even begun to discuss how another class of compounds called amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) show some important connections. These nutrients are fundamental to life and are even being used as potential biomarkers for autism! [5]
So what can we conclude? A diagnosis of autism is in no way protective against vitamin, mineral and nutritional deficiencies occurring; in some cases, it could be a big contributor to such issues. Dietary changes and, in some cases, supplementation can reverse vitamin, mineral and nutritional deficiencies. There is a distinct possibility that suitable screening and, where required, nutritional supplementation, can also have some important effects on the presentation of autism itself [6]. Thanks for reading.
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References:
[1] Sala R. et al. Bridging the Gap Between Physical Health and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2020 Jun 30;16:1605-1618.
[2] Sharp WG. et al. Scurvy as a Sequela of Avoidant-Restrictive Food Intake Disorder in Autism: A Systematic Review. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2020 Jun/Jul;41(5):397-405.
[3] Wang Z. et al The Association between Vitamin D Status and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2020 Dec 29;13(1):86.
[4] Malaguarnera M. & Cauli O. Effects of l-Carnitine in Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Review of Clinical Studies. Molecules. 2019 Nov 22;24(23):4262.
[5] Smith AM. et al. Amino Acid Dysregulation Metabotypes: Potential Biomarkers for Diagnosis and Individualized Treatment for Subtypes of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Biol Psychiatry. 2019 Feb 15;85(4):345-354.
[6] Adams JB. et al. Comprehensive Nutritional and Dietary Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorder-A Randomized, Controlled 12-Month Trial. Nutrients. 2018 Mar 17;10(3):369.