Health News 24.Sep.01How a Fish
Diet can help Autistic Children
' Dr Bell has been recommending
that patients treat their children with a highly-refined fish
oil supplement.
"When
we treat some of the kids by replacing depleted fatty acids, we see improvement
in some of the behaviours and characteristics of autism,' he said. "Their
parents report that their children are more attentive, their concentration improves
and their sleep patterns stabilise."'
Science correspondent
James Chapman reports on how oils that are beneficial for the heart can also be
of assistance for this particular condition. Children with autism can
make great improvements if they are fed fish oils, scientists are claiming. They
have discovered that two-thirds of those with the condition, which restricts the
ability to communicate and make sense of the world, have a deficiency in crucial
fatty acids contained in the oils. Children treated with fish oil supplements
showed better concentration and their disrupted sleep patterns improved. The
positive effects of the oils, found in trout, mackerel, herring and sardines,
are thought to be due to omega-3 fatty acids which are essential in developing
and maintaining brain power. Omega-3 fatty acids are already thought to reduce
the risk of heart disease and depression. About 30 percent of the brain
is made up of fatty acids and a supply is crucial to the function of brain cells.
Dr Gordon Bell, a biochemist at Stirling University in Scotland, was inspired
to investigate a link to autism when his seven-year-old son was diagnosed with
the condition. He asked the parents of 55 autistic children and the same
number with non-autistic youngsters to look out for signs of fatty acid deficiency.
These include what look like goose bumps on the upper arms and legs, rough dry
skin, dull hair, dandruff or soft and brittle nails. Dr Bell, who unveiled
his findings at a conference at Oxford University at the weekend, found 65 percent
of the autistic children showed signs of deficiency, compared to just 12 percent
of the non-autistic children. 'There is an apparent fatty acid deficiency
in two-thirds of individuals with autism,' said Dr Bell. 'We are testing
blood samples in a large group and we are finding that the omega-3 fatty acids
are depleted. 'I think the deficiency may be responsible for some of the
behaviours and symptoms of autism.' In 20 children with autism or Aspergers
syndrome, a related condition, the diagnosis was confirmed using high-tech blood
tests.
Dr Bell has been recommending that patients treat their children
with a highly-refined, over-the-counter fish oil supplement.
'When
we treat some of the kids by replacing depleted fatty acids, we see improvement
in some of the behaviours and characteristics of autism,' he said. 'Their
parents report that their children are more attentive, their concentration improves
and their sleep patterns stabilise. 'My son now gets fish oils and he
has better attentiveness, his concentration is better and his sleep pattern, which
was previously very poor, have improved. 'It seems to have a calming influence.' He
said it was important for parents to look for signs of fatty acid deficiency,
although he stressed that we was not suggesting that this would be a miracle cure
for autism. Dr Bell said he believed there was a link between changes in
the Western diet and the huge rise in cases of autism. In 1998, the average Briton
ate 146 grams of oily fish a week, compared with 283 grams in 1948. Doctors believe
cases of autism have increased more than tenfold over the same period. Neuroscientist
Dr Alex Richardson said there was growing evidence that the fatty acid deficiency
was involved in other disorders, including dyslexia and dyspraxia. Children with
disorders such as autism are likely to have 'significantly higher' levels of toxic
lead in their blood than their peers, say doctors from the South and West Devon
Health Authority. Writing in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood,
they warn that children can absorb lead by chewing objects and sucking their fingers.
Source: The Daily Mail
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