Throughout this academic journey, I haven’t really done much research nor have put much thought into nutrition and how it affects autism characteristics and the other way around. There has been past research that autism has strong associations with behaviors like food selectivity and therefore, inadequate nutritional intake. 

Fear Response and Food Refusal

Most research that has been conducted in individuals with ASD has focused on infants, children, and teenagers, focusing on early intervention and how early biomarkers can lead to treatment and diagnosis. Food refusal is pretty common in these populations. A majority of children go through this phase where they refuse to eat new foods or even foods that were previously eaten. For infants and toddlers, many refuse to taste new foods that appear different. These foods may have colors, shapes, or textures that they aren’t familiar with, which could trigger a fear response and lead to refusal. This idea happens to be more common in children with autism, with rates of eating disturbances ranging from 51% to 89%. 

Children with autism, prefer foods with high carbohydrate content like bread, pizza, cookies, and cakes. The preference for such sweet tastes can have consequences in itself. For example, rises in blood glucose could result in an overweight status or other conditions, like diabetes. Many parents rely on “safe foods,” like chicken nuggets and french fries. These foods are likely to be consistent whenever prepared or ate. Children with ASD function well with routines so this consistent diet can be difficult to change. 

However some of these food sensitivities have more of a biological basis. There is a strong connection between eating problems and gastrointestinal dysfunction in individuals with ASD. Many food sensitivities in autism can be attributed to abnormalities in the digestive and immune systems. The immune system in the gut can react to poor digestion of food which can sometimes lead to an inflammatory response that appears as an allergic reaction with symptoms including hives, diarrhea, vomiting, or dizziness. 

Providing Nutritional Support to Individuals with Autism

Resolving these problems can have a significantly positive effect on a child’s life. This could be as simple as limiting gluten or milk if you or your physician believe your child responds negatively to either. Other studies have promoted the use of probiotics to increase the presence of beneficial gut bacteria. 

The Autism Nutritition Center has created a set of guidelines that aim to provide nutritional support for individuals with ASD. The guidelines are empirically derived from major research studies and clinical trials around the world and have gathered significant information from Professor James Adam’s research at Arizona State University. 

The guidelines have four key parts. The ideas mentioned aren’t intended as medical advice but rather are recommendations that families can discuss and think about utilizing. 

1. ANRC Essentials
2. Essential Fatty Acids
3. L-Carnitine
4. Healthy Special Diet

The ANRC Essentials is a section of the guidelines that provides recommendations for comprehensive vitamin and mineral support. Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation has proven to reduce symptoms like aggression and impulsivity in ASD. This can be accomplished by eating oily fish and seeds, like chia seeds or flaxseeds. L-Carnitine can aid in supporting those who have low energy since carnitine is essential in making ATP, our body’s primary energy source. The healthy special diet recommends incorporating principles like an adequate protein intake, avoidance of artificial flavors and preservatives, minimal consumption of “junk food,” and a high intake of a variety of vegetables and fruit.