Behavioral effects of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in young adults with severe autism: an open label study.
BACKGROUND
Pilot findings seem to suggest a potential beneficial effect of omega-3 fatty acid (FA) supplementation on behavioral alterations in children with autism. However, data on the potential benefits of omega-3 supplements in young adults with severe autism are lacking. In the present study, we sought to explore this issue in an open label study.


METHODS
Nineteen young adults with severe autism (CARS >40), aged 18-40 years, received two fish oil capsules per day [0.93 g of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) plus 5 mg of vitamin E to avoid lipid peroxidation] for 6 weeks. Subjects were assessed with an ad hoc caregiver questionnaire, the Rossago Behavioral Checklist, for the assessment of behavioral anomalies.


RESULTS
No significant improvements were observed with regard to the severity and frequency of problematic behaviors either during the active treatment period or during the post-treatment 6-week observation period. Moreover, no effect on the number of episodes and severity of behavior aberrations was observed.


CONCLUSIONS
Our negative findings do not point toward a major effect of omega-3 FA supplementation on behavioral abnormalities in adults with severe autism. Further studies on larger sample sizes are warranted to shed more light on this important issue.
Politi
Pierluigi
P
Department of Health Applied Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy. pierluigi.politi@unipv.it
Cena
Hellas
H
Comelli
Mario
M
Marrone
Gaetano
G
Allegri
Chiara
C
Emanuele
Enzo
E
Ucelli di Nemi
Stefania
S