Randomized Controlled Trial of Omega-3 and -6 Fatty Acid Supplementation to Reduce Inflammatory Markers in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Study answer

What this study found

Omega 3-6 supplementation was generally tolerable, with high adherence and clear increases in RBC EPA and DHA. Compared with placebo, EPA increased by 1.5 mol% and DHA by 1.8 mol% at end of trial, with p = 0.002 and p < 0.0001, respectively. Among inflammatory markers, IL-2 decreased significantly relative to placebo (group difference in change -0.17, 95% CI -0.31 to -0.02; p = 0.02), while IL-1β, IFNγ, TNFα, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and IL-12p70 did not show clear between-group differences. The authors concluded that the fatty acid combination may influence inflammatory pathways relevant to ASD…

Study & population

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial at a single site in the United States.

Intervention

Children received an oral omega-3/omega-6 fatty acid supplement containing DHA, EPA, and GLA (Complete Omega; fish and borage oils) once daily for 90 days.

Key limitation

Small single-center trial with only 37 randomized participants in the active intervention group and 29 analyzed at end of trial.

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Original abstract