Comparison of urinary oxidative biomarkers in Iranian children with autism.
Autistic children show a consistent ‘working-hard-yet-under-equipped’ oxidative stress pattern across countries and sample types.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Ranjbar et al. (2014) compared morning urine from Iranian autistic children and their own brothers or sisters.
They measured catalase, total antioxidant power, and thiols—three chemicals that show how the body handles everyday wear-and-tear.
The design was simple: collect, freeze, test, and compare.
What they found
Kids with autism had more catalase but less overall antioxidant power and fewer thiols than their siblings.
In plain words, their defense system was working harder yet had less ammo, a pattern often called oxidative stress.
How this fits with other research
Gulati et al. (2026) saw the same stress pattern in Indian kids’ blood, not urine, giving a cross-country, cross-sample thumbs-up.
Lussu et al. (2017) went wider, mapping the whole urine metabolome in Italian siblings and still spotted oxidative stress, so the signal holds across continents and methods.
Çıtar Dazıroğlu et al. (2024) added a dietary twist: autistic youth ate diets low in antioxidants, offering one reason the urinary ammo was low.
James et al. (2008) had already shown the parents carry similar methylation and antioxidant quirks, hinting the difference may run in families.
Why it matters
You can’t fix genes with a behavior plan, but you can watch for fatigue or illness that might stem from this chemical strain.
Pair your skill-building sessions with good hydration, outdoor play, and prompt medical referral if energy crashes—simple moves that support the biology your program already addresses.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder usually presents in early childhood and thought to be influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Individuals with autism vary widely in abilities, intelligence, and behaviors. It is common for children with autism to exhibit eating disorders and some have preferences for soft and sweetened food making them susceptible to caries. Furthermore, a wide spectrum of medical and behavioral symptoms exhibited by children with autism makes routine dental care very difficult. Intellectual disability is evident in approximately 70% of individuals with autism and most psychiatric disorders, including autism, are associated with increased oxidative stress. 29 subjects diagnosed with autism, in the age group of 6 to 12 years, were a part of the study. Furturemore, 24 normal healthy siblings of same age group were taken as the control group. The present study aimed to evaluate oxidative stress biomarkers such as urinary total antioxidant concentration (TAC), catalase activity (CAT) and total thiol molecules (TTM). The results showed the autism group have significantly higher CAT activity and concomitant lower TAC and TTM concentration in comparison with control group. The results are discussed in relation to an increased vulnerability to oxidative damage, which may contribute to the development and clinical manifestation of symptoms of autism.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2014 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2014.07.010