Autism Therapy: anti-oxidant

definition of anti-oxidant: Chemical that makes free radicals less damaging by stabilizing them. Many vitamins are anti-oxidants.

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Novel Therapeutic Targets for Autism
Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, by Theoharides, TC, Doyle R., Francis K., Conti P., and Kalogeromitros D., published in 2008, summarized Mar 6, 2009

Some drugs that stop the allergic response of the immune system may be able to help with the symptoms of autism.

This article presents the authors' view that autism is caused by problems in the immune cells of the gut and brain. The authors suggest that mast cells in the body release chemicals that affect gut and brain function. They further suggest that certain supplements (antioxidants) and drugs that block mast cells may be able to help people with autism. One such drug is cyproheptadine, which blocks histamine, which is released from mast cells, and blocks the brain chemical serotonin. Cromolyn is another drug that seems to be able to stop mast cells and may help with some of the symptoms of autism. The authors also propose the therapeutic use of SAMe (S-adenosylmethionine), which is an antioxidant supplement.


Biomarkers for Oxidative Stress: Clinical Application in Pediatric Medicine
Current Medical Chemistry, by Tsukahara, H., published in 2007, summarized May 14, 2007

Some people use antioxidants to treat autism even though there is not yet a lot of research in support of antioxidant therapy.

Antioxidants are things that prevent damage from happening in the body. Folinic acid, betaine, and methylcobalamin are antioxidants that have been used as a therapy for autism. This article reviewed the research behind using antioxidants to treat children. The author described the tests that are now available to see if damage is happening in the childâ??s body. Doctors still donâ??t know what sorts of things damage a childâ??s body such that he needs antioxidants.


A Preliminary Trial of Ascorbic Acid as Supplemental Therapy for Autism
Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry., by Dolske, MC, Spollen J., McKay S., Lancashire E., and Tolbert L., published in 1993, summarized Oct 21, 2006

This article shows that vitamin C can improve behavior in children with autism.

In this well-controlled study, the authors test the idea that vitamin C may be a useful alternative therapy for children with autism. One group of 18 children with autism (6 to 19 years old) was split into two treatment groups with 9 children each. One group received vitamin C (8 g/70 kg/day or about 2 grams daily for a 40-pound child) for 20 weeks and placebo for 10 weeks, and the other group received the same dose of vitamin C for 10 weeks, placebo for 10 weeks, and vitamin C at the same dose for 10 more weeks. During each 10-week period, behaviors were scored by trained behavior raters who did not know what treatment the children had received. Social, emotional, sensory, and language behaviors were scored. The authors found a significant improvement in total behavior scores after vitamin C treatment followed placebo treatment, and a significant worsening of these scores after vitamin C treatment was stopped and placebo was taken for 10 weeks.


Altered Vascular Phenotype in Autism: Correlation with Oxidative Stress
Arch Neurol., by Yao, Y., Walsh WJ, McGinnis WR, and Pratico D., published in 2006, summarized Oct 21, 2006

This article suggests that autism may be associated with oxidative stress as well as changes in blood circulation.

It is already known that children with autism are likely to have more oxidative stress, or difficulty in managing free radicals, than children who do not have autism. It is also known that children with autism have unusual blood circulation. The authors of this study set out to determine if these facts could be biologically linked to one another. To do so, they tested the urine of 26 children with autism and 12 controls (ages not given) for biomarkers of oxidative stress (isoprostane) as well as two biomarkers for abnormal blood cells and blood flow. They found that the children with autism had significantly higher levels of all three biomarkers than the controls. They also found a significant correlation between the level of isoprostane and the levels of the two biomarkers for abnormal blood cells and blood flow, suggesting that there is a link between oxidative stress and changes in blood circulation in children with autism.


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    • Synonyms for anti-oxidant include: antioxidant
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