- 4 month double-blinded placebo controlled randomized clinical trial (RCT)
- 114 children with ASD (85 boys, 24 girls; aged 3-10 years)
- Serum vitamin D levels were measured at the beginning and at the end of the study
- Given 300 IU per kg/day (did not exceed 5,000 IU/day) vitamin D3
- A small number of patients
- Additional wide-scale studies with larger numbers are needed to validate the efficacy of vitamin D3 in ASD
- 3 month randomized clinical trial
- 215 children with ASD (mean age 4.76 + 0.95 years)
- 285 healthy control children (mean age 5.12+/-1.15 years)
- 37 children (out of 181) with ASD were compliant with the treatment plan
- Given 3 injections x 50000 IU per month and 400 IU vitamin D3 per day
- Not a blinded placebo controlled RCT
- Only a small number of ASD children with inadequate serum vitamin D levels completed the study
WHAT WAS ALREADY KNOWN
- Previous studies have shown a link between the risk of ASD and vitamin D insufficiency
- Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy is linked with adverse effects in the fetus and an increased risk of autism
- First double-blinded RCT proving the efficacy of vitamin D3 in ASD patients (Saad, K. 2016)
- Autistic symptoms (measured using the Autism Behaviour Checklist Score) improved significantly following 3 and 4 months (respectively) of vitamin D3 supplementation, including: irritability, hyperactivity, social withdrawal, stereotypic behaviour, inappropriate speech and autistic mannerisms (repetitive hand movements, creation of noises and jumping)
- Autistic symptoms did not improve in the placebo group (Saad, K. 2016)
- Vitamin D3 is important in neurodevelopment, modulation of the immune system, and gene regulation
- Vitamin D3 may help some children with ASD, especially younger children, with management of behavioural symptoms
- Supplementation with vitamin D3 is safe and cost-effective
Saad, K., Abdel-Rahman, A.A., Elserogy, Y.M., Al-Atram, A.A., El-Houfey, A.A., Othman, H.A., Bjorklund, G., Jia, F., Urbina, M.A., Abo-Elela, M.G., Ahmad, F.A., Abd El-Baseer, K.A., Ahmed, A.E., and Abel-Salam, A.M. (2016) Randomized controlled trial of vitamin D supplementation in children with autism spectrum disorder. J Child Psychol Psychiatry Nov 21. DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12652
Feng, J., Shan, L., Du, L., Wang, B., Li, H., Wang, W., Wang, T., Dong, H., Yue, X., Xu, Z., Staal, W.G and Jia, F. (2016) Clinical improvement following vitamin D3 supplementation in autism spectrum disorder. Nutr Neurosci DOI: 10.1080/1028415X.2015.1123847
Hot Topic Small Talk – Volume 2, Number 2
