title: Acid glycosaminoglycan (aGAG) excretion is increased in children with autism spectrum disorder, and it can be controlled by diet.
abstract: Autism research continues to receive considerable attention as the options for successful management are limited. The understanding of the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) etiology has now progressed to encompass genetic, epigenetic, neurological, hormonal, and environmental factors that affect outcomes for patients with ASD. Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are a family of linear, sulfated polysaccharides that are associated with central nervous system (CNS) development, maintenance, and disorders. Proteoglycans (PG) regulate diverse functions in the central nervous system. Heparan sulfate (HS) and chondroitin sulfate (CS) are two major GAGs present in the PGs of the CNS. As neuroscience advances, biochemical treatments to correct brain chemistry become better defined. Nutrient therapy can be very potent and has minimal to no side effects, since no molecules foreign to the body are needed. Given GAGs are involved in several neurological functions, and that its level can be somewhat modulated by the diet, the present study aimed to evaluate the role of GAGs levels in ASD symptoms. Both tGAG and its different fractions were evaluated in the urine of ASD and healthy control childrens. As levels differed between groups, a second trial was conduted evaluating if diet could reduce tGAG levels and if this in turn decrease ASD symptoms. The present study found that tGAG concentration was significantly higher in the urine of children with ASD compared to healthy control children and this was also evident in all GAG fractions. Within groups (controls and ASD), no gender differences in GAG excretion were found. The use of a 90 days elimination diet (casein-free, special carbohydrates, multivitamin/mineral supplement), had major effects in reducing urinary tGAG excretion in children with ASD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Jósa András County Hospital, Nyíregyháza, Hungary.
authors.forename: Ildikó
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Endreffy
authors.affiliation: Council for Nutritional and Environmental Medicine, Toften 24, 8610, Mo i Rana, Norway. bjorklund@conem.org.
authors.forename: Geir
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2632-3935
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bjørklund
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Jósa András County Hospital, Nyíregyháza, Hungary.
authors.forename: Ferenc
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dicső
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.|Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de Concepción, Casilla 160-C, Concepción, Chile.
authors.forename: Mauricio A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Urbina
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Pediatric Health Care Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.
authors.forename: Emőke
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Endreffy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000378:metabolism*; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004032:Diet; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans / Q000378:metabolism*; D006497:Heparan Sulfate / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D006025:Glycosaminoglycans; D006497:Heparan Sulfate
keywords: Autism; Epigenetics; Glycosaminoglycans; Neurodevelopment disorders; Nutrition; Proteoglycans