Research summaries for autism therapy: vitamin therapy

definition of vitamin therapy: Type of therapy that involves taking vitamins as nutritional supplements in order to improve health. Some vitamins are believed to help reduce autism symptoms. Different vitamins may be used for different people, depending on their situation.
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Complementary Alternative Medicine for Children with Autism: A Physician Survey, Summarized Jan 8, 2010

Some physicians may recommend complementary alternative medicine (CAM) therapies for children with autism.

A survey was offered to 3,100 pediatricians and family medicine practitioners, and about 1 out of 5 responded to the survey (539 physicians). The survey showed that 49% of the doctors encouraged multi-vitamin therapy for children with autism. And 19 to 25% of them encouraged essential fatty acids (EFAs), melatonin, and probiotics as therapy for autism. Physicians discouraged parents from using some therapies.... Read more...

Commentary: Potential Neurobiologic Mechanisms through which Metabolic Disorders Could Relate to Autism, Summarized Oct 21, 2009

Scientists are beginning to understand how some gene defects and metabolic problems can lead to autism symptoms.

Metabolic problems are defects in specific proteins or enzymes that make energy from food in the body. The author describes how these defects may cause brain problems in two ways. One way of causing problems is by changing specific steps of normal functions as the brain does its job every moment of every day. The second way of causing problems is by changing brain development, causing lifelong changes in how the brain works. The first type of problem may be quickly fixed with a metabolic therapy such as diet or vitamin therapy. The second type of problem may be difficult to correct if the stage of development has already passed and the brain is mature.

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Metabolic Approaches to the Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders, Summarized Oct 20, 2009

Diet and vitamin therapy may help people who have metabolic problems and autism symptoms.

Metabolism is the way your body breaks down foods to make energy. Some people with autism have metabolic problems or disorders. They may lack certain proteins or enzymes that are important parts of the metabolism machinery. This article discussed some examples of metabolic syndromes such as phenylketonuria, histidinemia, and adenylosuccinate lyase deficiency. Diet therapy can be very helpful for people with metabolic syndromes, and a specific diet may be tailored to the specific metabolic problem. Vitamin therapy, including pyroxidine (vitamin B6) therapy, may also be helpful for some metabolic disorders.

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The Role of Vitamins and Minerals in Psychiatry, Summarized Jun 4, 2009

Vitamin B6 and magnesium therapy may help some children with autism.

In one older study, 42% of children with autism had low levels of vitamin B6. These results prompted doctors to try vitamin B6 therapy for patients with autism. Parents of some children with autism reported improvements in behavior with vitamin B6 treatment alone. Some children also showed improvement after combined treatment with vitamin B6 and magnesium. A recent large study (Rimland and Edelson) of 5,780 autistic children and adults reported clinical improvement in 47% of the patients who received combined vitamin B6 and magnesium therapy. Read more...

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Synonyms for vitamin therapy include: vitamin supplement, vitamin supplements
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