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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
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Autism |
Vitamin D06/18/2009 |
My grandson is 7 and has been diagnosed with autism. I read an article that said low levels of vitamin d have been associated with autism. If we gave our grandson some supplemental vitamin d, would it help? Thanks.
We can't be sure vitamin D will help, but it is not likely to harm if supplemented in moderation. Each individual's nutritional status should be evaluated.In recent research we have found that although on average children with autism consume an adequate diet as a group, most have deficiencies at the individual level because of their odd, restricted dietary preferences. For example, one child might be deficient in calcium while another consumes an excess of calcium but is deficient in folic acid (a B vitamin).
A peculiarity of vitamin D is that few foods have it unless they are deliberately enriched, such as vitamin D milk. Humans depend to some extent on sunlight to convert cholesterol on the skin into vitamin D. So in the winter, it is advisable to supplement children with vitamin D.
Another interesting thing about vitamin D is that although it was known for decades that it is necessary for bone growth, only recently have we learned that it is also necessary for brain function, heart health, and other aspects of health. If a child is eating an unbalanced diet, it is advisable to give a daily RDI multivitamin/mineral tablet.
As with other vitamins and minerals, it is possible to have toxicity from excessive amounts of vitamin D, but the amount in an RDI multivitamin/mineral added to what is in the diet is not likely to be a problem unless the child is consuming hugely excessive amounts of a certain food rich in that nutrient (e.g., drinking over a gallon a day of vitamin D enriched milk).
OSU's Nisonger Center is currently conducting a study of cholesterol in autism, which is related to vitamin D, and the children in the clinical trial will receive a balanced multivitamin/mineral. Evaluations and treatment are free, and there is some reimbursement for transportation and time. Anyone interested in participating can contact Stacey Langsner at 614-292-3971 or Stacey.Langsner@osumc.edu.
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L. Eugene Arnold, MD, MEd Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry OSU Nisonger Center Department of Psychiatry College of Medicine The Ohio State University |
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