Vitamin Methyl B12 Improved Autism Symptoms in Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study
In a 2016 article in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Robert L. Hendren and colleagues described an 8-week study in which the vitamin methyl B12 improved symptoms of autism spectrum disorders in children.
Fifty-seven children were randomized to receive either 75??g/kg of methyl B12 injected under the skin every three days or saline injections as a placebo instead. Methyl B12 improved the children’s autism symptoms compared to placebo. The improvements correlated with increases in levels of the amino acid methionine in the blood and improvements in cellular methylation capacity. Children with autism spectrum disorders have reduced ability to methylate (i.e. add methyl groups to) DNA. The methylation process helps convert the toxic amino acid homocysteine into beneficial methionine. The children who received methyl B12 showed a reduction in homocysteine and a better ratio of methionine to homocysteine.
Homocysteine is bad for the heart, for cognition, and for fetal development, while methionine can help improve depression and is important to many cellular reactions. Converting homocysteine to methionine requires vitamin B12 and folate, another B vitamin found in foods such as green vegetables and beans.
Taking folate supplements can help make antidepressants more effective by aiding the methylation process. However, some people have a common variation in the MTHFR gene that makes it difficult for the body to make use of folate. These people would need to take the nutritional supplement L-methylfolate instead of regular folate to help in the conversion of homocysteine to s-adenosylmethionine (SAMe, which acts as an antidepressant).
Dietary Supplements for Autism: Up-to-Date Research
A 2017 review article by Yong-Jiang Li and colleagues in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry describes the current research on dietary supplements that may help improve symptoms of autism spectrum disorder.
Some of the most promising research was on vitamin D, folinic acid, and sulforaphane. Methyl B12 and digestive enzyme therapy had some positive effects, while gluten- and casein-free diets and omega-3 fatty acids did not seem to help improve autism symptoms.
Vitamin D
Li and colleagues described a randomized, controlled trial of vitamin D in 109 children with autism aged 3 to 10 years. The experimental group received doses of 300 IU/kg of body weight/day, not exceeding 5000 IU/day. By the end of the four-month study, vitamin D levels had significantly increased in the experimental group compared to the control group. Those who received vitamin D also showed significant improvement on all ratings of autism symptoms, which included general scales of autism symptoms and more specialized checklists that capture aberrant behavior and social responsiveness.
Folinic Acid
The review article also described a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of folinic acid in 48 children with autism spectrum disorder and language impairment. Participants received high-dose folinic acid (2 mg/kg/day) or placebo for 12 weeks. Those who received folinic acid, a form of folic acid that can readily be used by the body, showed significant improvements in verbal communication and core autism symptoms compared to those who received placebo. Participants who tested positive for folate receptor alpha autoantibodies (FRAA), which disrupt the transportation of folate across the blood-brain barrier and are common in autism, showed greater improvements from taking folinic acid than those without this abnormality.
Sulforaphane
Sulforaphane is a phytochemical derived from cruciferous vegetables. It can create metabolic effects that resemble those of a fever, which can improve behavioral symptoms of autism. Sulforaphane also fights oxidative stress, inflammation, and DNA damage, which may play roles in autism. Li and colleagues described the first double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of sulforaphane treatment in 29 boys aged 13 to 17 years. The boys who received sulforaphane showed significant improvement in autism-related behavior, especially social interaction and communication, after 18 weeks compared to those who received placebo. Sulforaphane has low toxicity and is well tolerated. Read more
Oxytocin Improves Facial Expressiveness in People with Autism
In a new study by Keiho Owada and colleagues, 18 people with autism spectrum disorders had more neutral facial expressions and fewer surprised expressions than 17 typically developing people while interacting socially. Oxytocin, a hormone that promotes social bonding, was delivered to the autism group via a nasal spray for six weeks, and made the faces of the people with autism more expressive. Oxytocin also improved their reciprocity in social interactions and increased activity in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, as observed via functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
The study suggests not only that oxytocin can normalize facial expressions, but also that the counting of facial expressions on videos of social interactions can be used as a measure of social symptoms of autism. The research was presented at the 2016 meeting of the Society of Biological Psychiatry.
