Autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review about nutritional interventions
Open accessAbstract
OBJECTIVE: To identify and analyze the scientific evidence of nutritional interventions performed in children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder. DATA SOURCES: A systematic review was conducted in the MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Embase, LILACS, Google Scholar, PubMed, PsycINFO and Periódicos CAPES databases, using a search strategy to identify studies published between January 2003 and March 2018, in Portuguese, English and Spanish. Were included studies that described nutritional interventions in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders and assessed autistic behavior and/or gastrointestinal symptoms. We excluded other review articles and studies that did not include a control group in the research design. The studies were reviewed for descriptive information, and the quality of evidence was assessed through the GRADE system. DATA SYNTHESIS: 18 studies were included in the review, being 16 randomized clinical trials, 1 case-control study and 1 open-label trial. As a result, the implementation of a gluten-free and casein-free diet was the most used intervention among the studies. Of the total, 10 studies showed a positive association of intervention with the evaluated results, while 8 did not find of a significant association. CONCLUSIONS: Although some authors report progress in the symptoms associated with autism in individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorder undergoing nutritional interventions, there is little scientific evidence to support the use of nutritional supplements or dietary therapies in children and adolescents with autism.
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There is insufficient data to support broader use of GFCF diet.
“Although scientific evidence shows some improvements in behavior on GFCF diet, there is insufficient data to support its broader use [23,53].”
Scientific evidence shows some improvements in behavior on GFCF diet.
“Although scientific evidence shows some improvements in behavior on GFCF diet, there is insufficient data to support its broader use [23,53].”
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Research works printed but not linked: 1
- [3]Silva NI Relação entre hábito alimentar e a síndrome do espectro autista master’s thesis Piracicaba (SP) Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz”, Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba 2011
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Babinska, K., Celusakova, H., Belica, I., Szapuova, Z., Waczulikova, I., Nemcsicsova, D., Tomova, A., & Ostatnikova, D. (2020) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph17176372 · Cited by 74 · see citing works
- Authors
- Monteiro, M. A., Santos, A. A. A. D., Gomes, L. M. M., & Rito, R. V. V. F.
- Affiliations
- Universidade Federal Fluminense (BR)
- Corresponding author
- Gomes, Lidiane Martins Mendes
- ORCID
- Venue
- Revista Paulista de Pediatria
- Publisher
- FapUNIFESP (SciELO)
- Published
- 2020
- Volume
- 38
- Pages
- e2018262-e2018262
- ISSN
- 0103-0582 (ISSN-L)
- 1984-0462
- PMC
- PMC7077797
- OpenAlex
- W3011775500
- Cited by
- 71
- References
- 34
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 2
- FWCI
- 1.82
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Revista Paulista de Pediatria (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- Americanae (AECID Library) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Child Nutrition and Feeding Issues
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Behavioral and Psychological Studies
- Keywords
- autism spectrum disorder, dietary intervention, gluten-free diet, casein-free diet, dietary therapy, autistic behavior, gastrointestinal symptoms, children and adolescents, dietary supplements
- MeSH terms
- Autism Spectrum Disorder, Adolescent, Caseins, Child, Humans, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Dietary Supplements, Diet, Gluten-Free
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