Food selectivity, gastrointestinal symptoms and urine organic acids in autism spectrum disorder: A pilot study

By: Vissoker R.E., Berger D., Latzer Y., Gal E.
Published in: Current Nutrition and Food Science
SDGs : SDG 03  |  Units: Social Welfare & Health Sciences  | Time: 2018 |  Link
Description: Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by numerous comorbidities including eating problems, the mos t common of which is food selectivity (FS), and gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction, which often occurs concurrently with eating problems. Aim: To investigate the relationships between food selectivity, GI symptoms and various metabolic pathways in children with ASD using parental report and quantitative urine organic acid testing. Methods: An anonymous review of the clinical charts of 68 children aged 1.6 to 11 with a diagnosis of ASD was performed. Demographic and health information from intake forms and urine organic acid test reports were analyzed; descriptive statistics and Chi square tests were conducted. Results: Parents of 60% of children reported food selectivity in their child and parents of 69% of children reported GI symptoms. 47% of parents reported both food selectivity and GI symptoms in their child. 90% of the participants were found to have at least one elevated GI fungal metabolite, and 30% or more had elevated levels of 5 different GI bacterial metabolites. No significant correlation between food selectivity and GI symptoms was identified. Conclusion: This study highlights important trends among FS, GI symptoms and select organic acid metabolites; further studies of the clinical significance of these metabolites and their effect on the behavior, sensory experiences and physical symptoms among children with ASD are suggested. © 2018 Bentham Science Publishers.