Autism and omega-3

Discussion:

Autism and omega-3

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r***@gmail.com

2012-06-03 06:07:56 UTC

I recently saw a suggestion that omega-3 oils are good for treating
autism, so I did a web search for articles that comment on this.

Summary of results: Only one article I found looks like it might
be a scientific report. Many more were from sites trying to sell
omega-3 supplements - generally a bad sign for how much you should
trust the accuracy of such articles. Several articles appeared to
be mainly opinions, with little if any science behind them.

However, omega-3 fats are usually deficient in today's diets, so
adding some is probably at least harmless.

The main sources of omega-3 are fish from colder parts of the ocean,
such as salmon and sardines, but sometimes occured as fish oils
rather than fish you can eat. Farmed salmon usually does not have
much; only those caught wild.

Although a type of omega-3 is available from walnuts and flaxseed,
the human body is very inefficient at converting that type into the
types it needs most.

For those allergic to fish, there are a few more sources: Grass-fed
beef or bison, but not the cheaper and more common grain-fed varieties.
A vegetable called purslane. Many supermarkets do not sell purslane
by itself, but may offer it in a mixture called mesclun salad.

Omega-3 Fish Oil May Improve Autism
http://www.rejuvenation-science.com/n_omega-3_autism.html

Fish Oil & Autism
http://www.livestrong.com/article/142603-fish-oil-autism/

How to Treat Autism With Omega-3 Fish Oils
http://www.livestrong.com/article/324929-how-to-treat-autism-with-omega-3-fish-oils/

Omega-3 May Help Alleviate the Symptoms of Autism
http://www.newautism.com/omega-3-may-help-alleviate-the-symptoms-of-autism/1814/

Omega-3 Fatty Acid Diet
http://brighttots.com/Autism_Diet/Omega-3_Fatty_Acid_Diet.html

Does eating fish make children smarter?
http://www.autism-fish-oil.com/

Autism Therapy: omega-3
http://autism.healingthresholds.com/therapy/omega-3

Fish Oil and the Treatment for Autism
http://omega-3.us/articles/fish-oil-and-the-treatment-for-autism.html

d***@fsmail.net

2012-06-04 07:34:38 UTC

Permalink

Post by r***@gmail.com
I recently saw a suggestion that omega-3 oils are good for treating
autism, so I did a web search for articles that comment on this.

Thanks for the research. I eat some oily fish some of the time. From my own experience it has no observable short-term impact on my behaviour (and no observable cognitive impact). I don't know if it has any longer term impacts.

I have read articles and believe that omega-3 oils are a good thing to include in the diet. I am sceptical about supplements though so try to eat naturally (e.g. tinned fish).

Dolphinius
(Male, age 40 +/- a few months, UK, self-diagnosed AS)

Canth

2012-06-06 01:15:30 UTC

Permalink

Post by r***@gmail.com
I recently saw a suggestion that omega-3 oils are good for treating
autism, so I did a web search for articles that comment on this.
Summary of results: Only one article I found looks like it might
be a scientific report. Many more were from sites trying to sell
omega-3 supplements - generally a bad sign for how much you should
trust the accuracy of such articles. Several articles appeared to
be mainly opinions, with little if any science behind them.
However, omega-3 fats are usually deficient in today's diets, so
adding some is probably at least harmless.
The main sources of omega-3 are fish from colder parts of the ocean,
such as salmon and sardines, but sometimes occured as fish oils
rather than fish you can eat. Farmed salmon usually does not have
much; only those caught wild.
Although a type of omega-3 is available from walnuts and flaxseed,
the human body is very inefficient at converting that type into the
types it needs most.
For those allergic to fish, there are a few more sources: Grass-fed
beef or bison, but not the cheaper and more common grain-fed varieties.
A vegetable called purslane. Many supermarkets do not sell purslane
by itself, but may offer it in a mixture called mesclun salad.
Omega-3 Fish Oil May Improve Autism
http://www.rejuvenation-science.com/n_omega-3_autism.html
Fish Oil & Autism
http://www.livestrong.com/article/142603-fish-oil-autism/
How to Treat Autism With Omega-3 Fish Oils
http://www.livestrong.com/article/324929-how-to-treat-autism-with-omega-3-fish-oils/
Omega-3 May Help Alleviate the Symptoms of Autism
http://www.newautism.com/omega-3-may-help-alleviate-the-symptoms-of-autism/1814/
Omega-3 Fatty Acid Diet
http://brighttots.com/Autism_Diet/Omega-3_Fatty_Acid_Diet.html
Does eating fish make children smarter?
http://www.autism-fish-oil.com/
Autism Therapy: omega-3
http://autism.healingthresholds.com/therapy/omega-3
Fish Oil and the Treatment for Autism
http://omega-3.us/articles/fish-oil-and-the-treatment-for-autism.html

There is some UK research that it is very good for learning
improvement in autistics. Cannot find a cite; I saw it in a show on
autism.

My daughter's Dr. who treats a lot of autistics, has put her on 10gm a
day. His experience is that autistics need more of it than others for
brain development and learning. He finds it particularly useful in
cases involving speech defects.

AS! ds++:+++ a++ c+++ p++ t+ f-- S+ p+ e++ h++ r++ n++ i+ P+ m++ M
I've been ignored by better people than you.

Phil W Lee

2012-06-06 14:28:11 UTC

Permalink

Post by Canth

There is some UK research that it is very good for learning
improvement in autistics. Cannot find a cite; I saw it in a show on
autism.
My daughter's Dr. who treats a lot of autistics, has put her on 10gm a
day. His experience is that autistics need more of it than others for
brain development and learning. He finds it particularly useful in
cases involving speech defects.
AS! ds++:+++ a++ c+++ p++ t+ f-- S+ p+ e++ h++ r++ n++ i+ P+ m++ M
I've been ignored by better people than you.

I suspect that (in common with some of the other "wonder diet"
treatments) this is only of benefit in cases where there is a
deficiency over and above any autistic condition.
Now that may be more likely in someone on the spectrum, as many of us
don't get a very balanced diet in the normal course of events.
What with hypersensitivity in taste and texture of food, and fixed
routines, a balanced diet is probably more difficult for many
autistics than for the average NT, so there may be commonality, but
that does not imply causation, and it isn't particularly surprising
that stressors like poor general health may increase behavioural
difficulties.

Canth

2012-06-07 03:56:31 UTC

Permalink

Post by Phil W Lee

Post by Canth

There is some UK research that it is very good for learning
improvement in autistics. Cannot find a cite; I saw it in a show on
autism.
My daughter's Dr. who treats a lot of autistics, has put her on 10gm a
day. His experience is that autistics need more of it than others for
brain development and learning. He finds it particularly useful in
cases involving speech defects.
AS! ds++:+++ a++ c+++ p++ t+ f-- S+ p+ e++ h++ r++ n++ i+ P+ m++ M
I've been ignored by better people than you.

I see at least one double blind study from the UK, albeit not specific
to autism, which demonstrated that an increase in omega 3 in the diet
for underperforming boys produced a marked improvement in both
attention span and academic results. Whether the increase in academic
results can be accounted for by the increase in attention span is not
explored. There was also no indication in the abstract as to whether
diet was also controlled.

The brain contains the greatest amount of omega 3 in the body. It
appears to have effects on the signaling systems, and on blood flow.
Studies are cited in some of the general articles on omega 3 which
indicate that some people metabolise omega 3 faster & therefore need
greater amounts in their diet. Whether this is a feature of autism is
not spelled out.

The Western diet is particularly deficient in omega 3 compared to
omega 6. There is some evidence also that the ratio of omega 3 to
omega 6 is the important component. There is certainly a study in the
UK, cited in SciAm a while back, which shows that the ratio is
important for the formation of the membrane around mitochondria. When
the ratio is high, the mitochondria incorporate omega 3 in the
membrane, which in turn allows free fatty acids (FFA) to pass into the
mitochondria & be used for energy. When the ratio is low, the
mitochondria use omega 6, which does not allow FFA to pass through.
The mitochondria then have to use a specific energy consuming
mechanism to transport the FFA into themselves. They are less likely
to do this until FFA are the only source of energy available.

While there is anecdotal evidence from some specialists that omega 3
is of assistance for autistic children, I cannot find any specific
studies. There are studies on ADHD, which show improvements with the
use of omega 3. Some of the tv shows on autism out of the UK allude
to omega 3 as a specific dietary supplement which produces
improvement, but naturally supply no citable studies.

I take a fairly high dose of omega 3 (6 gm/day) to improve my ratio,
yet according to my blood studies, I am only just inside the normal
range. Since I tend to avoid grain fed meats and grain based products
(brans, wholegrain bread, etc), I can only conclude that I metabolise
omega 3 pretty fast.

AS! ds++:+++ a++ c+++ p++ t+ f-- S+ p+ e++ h++ r++ n++ i+ P+ m++ M
I've been ignored by better people than you.

Aquarian Monkey

2012-06-24 01:10:45 UTC

Permalink

Post by Canth
My daughter's Dr. who treats a lot of autistics, has put her on 10gm a
day. His experience is that autistics need more of it than others for
brain development and learning. He finds it particularly useful in
cases involving speech defects.
AS! ds++:+++ a++ c+++ p++ t+ f-- S+ p+ e++ h++ r++ n++ i+ P+ m++ M
I've been ignored by better people than you.

I know my daughter's experience is only my daughter's experience, but she seemed to have an explosion in her verbal abilities when I started giving her omega-3's.

However, it is possible that it was just time for her to make a leap. She tends to develop that way...plateaus followed by sizable leaps.

I supplemented with omega-3's while pregnant and nursing as I had read studies that it was good for baby. Since both of my kids have disabilities, one could wonder, but then again, I'll never know what could have been had I not taken the supplements. Maybe their disabilities would be severe instead of mild to moderate.

When it comes to things like this, I am of the mind that if it poses no risk and you wish to try it, go ahead and try it. I also think that people on the spectrum often have heightened responses to things. IOW, if being deficient in a certain nutrient causes some issues in an NT, I think it can cause even more issues in someone atypically wired. I also think that nutritional issues can cause an increase in autistic symptomatology. I saw that very clearly in my daughter as a toddler. She could not process casein and it made many of her autistic symptoms way worse. It was the only time she has ever engaged in SIB, and I imagine it was because she constantly felt like crap and didn't have any language to tell me that.

r***@gmail.com

2012-06-26 19:44:39 UTC

Permalink

I've now found that walnuts do not help my nosebleed, even though they contain the ALA variety of omega-3. The oily fish from the colder parts of the ocean contain the DHA and EPA varieties. Fish oil and krill oil are as available as supplements that also contain these varieties.

Flaxseed oil contains only the ALA variety, so I do not plan to check if it helps my nosebleed.

For those allergic to fish, there are a few other sources of DHA and EPA available. Cattle and buffalo are both much better than humans at converting ALA to DHA and EPA. Therefore, grass-fed beef and grass-fed buffalo both contain DHA and EPA, since they get ALA from the grass. The cheaper and more common grain-fed types do not.

A vegetable called purslane also contains DHA and EPA. It's available growing wild in Europe, but usually considered a weed in the US. Few supermarkets sell it as a separate vegetable, but some sell mesclun salads that happen to contain some.

The main other source of DHA and EPA appears to be the microalgae that grow in the colder parts of the ocean, but I haven't found any place where those are sold.

r***@gmail.com

2012-06-21 02:21:18 UTC

Permalink

I've had a slow nosebleed for the last few months, and have found that either salmon or sardines tends to help that. However, more time outside also tends to help.

No noticeable omega-3 influence on my behavior.

I'm planning to ask my doctor for a blood test on whether my omega-3 is low. I'm in assisted living, where my doctor's permission is required for using most types of supplements.