Nutritional status of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs): a case-control study.
Kids with autism aged 6-10 are often underweight and low on key vitamins.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Marí-Bauset et al. (2015) compared kids with autism to kids without autism. They looked at body weight and vitamin levels.
The children were 6 to 10 years old. The team used a case-control design.
What they found
Children with autism were more often underweight. They also had lower levels of some key vitamins.
The study showed poorer nutritional status in the autism group.
How this fits with other research
Miltenberger et al. (2013) already showed kids with autism eat less calcium and protein. Salvador's team found the same pattern two years later.
Barak-Levy et al. (2015) studied preschoolers and saw more nutrient gaps despite higher body weight. Salvador saw underweight in older kids. Age may explain the weight difference.
Sánchez-Gómez et al. (2023) extended the idea. They included kids with mild autism traits and still found poor diet quality. The problem is not limited to full autism diagnoses.
Why it matters
You can spot nutrition issues early. Ask parents what the child eats. Check weight at every visit. If the child is underweight or eats few foods, refer to a dietitian. Better nutrition can improve mood, sleep, and learning.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have problems of food selectivity, implying risks of nutritional deficiencies. The aim was to compare intakes of macro and micronutrients and body mass index in ASD and typically developing (TD) children. In a case-control study, 3-day food diaries and anthropometric measurements were completed for ASD (n = 40) and TD (n = 113) children (aged 6-10 years) living in the same area. Body mass indices were below the 5th percentile in 20 % of ASD versus 8.85% of TD children. We found intakes were lower for fluoride (p = 0.017) and higher for vitamin E (p = 0.001). There was limited food variety and inadequacy of some intakes suggests that routine monitoring of ASD children should include assessment of their dietary habits, as well as anthropometric measurements.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2015 · doi:10.1007/s10803-014-2205-8