Politi Pierluigi, Cena Hellas, Comelli Mario, Marrone Gaetano, Allegri Chiara, Emanuele Enzo, Ucelli di Nemi Stefania
Department of Health Applied Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
Arch Med Res. 2008 Oct;39(7):682-5. doi: 10.1016/j.arcmed.2008.06.005.
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.
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.
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.
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.
初步研究结果似乎表明，补充ω-3脂肪酸（FA）对自闭症儿童的行为改变可能具有有益作用。然而，关于ω-3补充剂对重度自闭症青年潜在益处的数据尚缺。在本研究中，我们试图通过一项开放标签研究来探讨这一问题。
19名年龄在18至40岁之间、患有重度自闭症（儿童自闭症评定量表>40）的青年，每天服用两粒鱼油胶囊[0.93克二十碳五烯酸（EPA）和二十二碳六烯酸（DHA）加5毫克维生素E以避免脂质过氧化]，持续6周。使用一份专门设计的照顾者问卷——罗萨戈行为清单，对受试者的行为异常进行评估。
在积极治疗期间或治疗后6周的观察期内，问题行为的严重程度和频率均未观察到显著改善。此外，未观察到对行为失常发作次数和严重程度的影响。
我们的阴性结果并不表明补充ω-3脂肪酸对重度自闭症成人的行为异常有重大影响。有必要进行更大样本量的进一步研究，以更清楚地了解这一重要问题。
