Wide-spectrum nutritional supplement for Autism Spectrum Disorder

The approximate annual rate of ASD in the United States is about 1.7 cases per 100,000 children. Although all children with ASD are included in this rate, it is not clear that there is an independent ASD rate and it is possible that there are people with ASD whose symptoms are underdiagnosed as other conditions. Thus the ASD rate is underestimated. This rate will probably remain stable or increase over the next 20 yr. In this article, we address current epidemiologic estimates of ASD and show, in various ways, how much more data are needed.

Findings indicate that autism and autism spectrum disorder share common signs, most of which are cognitive in nature. This association suggests that autism and ASD may be related phenomenologically and clinically.

A wide variety of treatments are used to treat autism and ASD, including medication and therapies applied directly to the child (e.g., speech therapy), or applied to family members (e.g., behavior therapy). More than one of these therapies is often used in combination to promote growth and quality of life in children with autism.

ASD manifests differently in different patients depending whether the clinical presentation involves social deficits or behavioral difficulties. The behavioral difficulties of ASD resolve when the patient receives appropriate treatment.

ASD is a diverse family of illnesses characterized by the presence of symptoms in at least two separate areas, each suggestive of a different underlying cause; that is, it might be best described as a syndrome (an assembly of two or more symptoms).

There are other contributing factors in ASD besides the disorder's etiology that have to be considered. Current therapies for ASD have shown to mostly have a therapeutic effect, but, there is not yet any cure for autism. A combination of treatment such as behavioral, social, and communication intervention can also be used to improve ASD patients’ functioning.

Children receiving WSS demonstrated a reduction in ASD symptoms in the short term compared to the placebo group, and similar improvements in the long term compared to the standard nutrition programme.

We assessed the effect of a broad spectrum dietary supplement of 2 g/day of L-cysteine on 6-mo QOL among this small sample at risk for ASD. While limited by small sample size, this finding suggests that the use of this supplement may be useful in patients at risk for ASD. (Jobs Medical Nutrition. 2016;13(1)(Suppl 1).

Wide-spectrum nutritional supplements, mainly composed of minerals from seawater, are safe and may contribute with many beneficial effects to the autistic child's nutritional status, but further studies are needed.

While other causes of autism are known, our results suggest that epigenetic alteration may play a pivotal role in the etiology of ASD. Furthermore, epigenetics is likely to be one mechanism explaining the sex differences in ASD pathogenesis. The epigenetic alterations can be induced by environmental factors, such as the maternal environment or the environmental factors that alter maternal DNA methylation profiles.

There are many common side effects of all supplements and some possible side effects of specific supplements. People should read the package insert of any supplement to know what the common side effects are, and not to stop taking any particular supplement.