The Kids Research Institute Australia research has shown nearly 50 per cent of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have tried fish oil supplements, but does it actually work to improve symptoms?
"Fish oil supplements contain omega-3 fatty acids and some children with ASD have naturally lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids compared to children without ASD," says The Kids Research Institute Australia researcher Alena Dass.
"Despite this, there have been few large well-designed studies which have investigated whether fish oil supplements to increase omega-3 fatty acid levels actually benefit children with ASD." Dass.
Alena and the Autism Research Team are conducting the first Australian study to determine whether high-dose fish oil supplementation compared to sunflower oil for six months may improve behavioural, cognitive or language outcomes in young children with ASD.
"We want to ensure that parents are spending money on treatments that are shown scientifically to be beneficial," said Ms Dass. "If fish oil is effective, that is great news for those parents already using it. If it is not, we'd like to arm parents with that knowledge so they can make a more informed decision about use of fish oil."
Jocelyn's five year old son Levi is a participant in The Kids Research Institute Australia trial. He takes a supplement every day and researchers monitor his progress through play-based tasks and a blood test.
Jocelyn doesn't know if Levi is taking a high-dose fish oil supplement or the placebo but she is happy with his progress either way. "We are on a mailing list for autism," Jocelyn said. "So I saw this particular fish oil trial and I thought, you know what it's easy, it's non-invasive, and it takes 30 seconds of my time in the morning, if that."
"He's been a part of this trial since his diagnosis and we've seen huge improvements. Whether it's because of the fish oil or not, we'll have to wait for the results. But if we as a family can do our little bit for medical research then that's really good," says Jocelyn.
Researchers are looking for children aged 2 to 6 with an ASD to participate in the study, which is in its second stage. Results are expected at the end of next year.
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