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Efficacy of Sulforaphane in Treatment of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Multi-center Trial

Jianjun Ou, Robert C Smith, Russell H Tobe, Jingjing Lin, Jen Arriaza, Jed W Fahey, Ruiting Liu, Ying Zeng, Yanan Liu, Lian Huang, Yidong Shen, Yamin Li, Daomeng Cheng, Brian Cornblatt, John M Davis, Jingping Zhao, Renrong Wu, Hua Jin
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 2024 54(2):628-641

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 36427174
DOI
10.1007/s10803-022-05784-9
Funding
National Natural Science Foundation of China grants 81974217 and 81622018; National Key R&D Program of China 2016YFC1306900; Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province 2020JJ5825.

Study snapshot

DesignRandomized double-blind placebo-controlled multicenter clinical trial
ModelChildren with autism spectrum disorder
Sample108 participants
InterventionSulforaphane versus placebo.
Duration12 weeks treatment
EndpointsCaregiver-rated autism scales; Clinician-rated autism scales; Responder rate; Safety and tolerability

What the study showed, in plain terms

This larger multicenter trial tested sulforaphane in 108 children with autism spectrum disorder and deliberately measured both caregiver- and clinician-rated outcomes.

Key findings

Caregiver-rated scales did not significantly differ between sulforaphane and placebo. Clinician-rated scales did improve, and about one third of participants had at least a 30% decrease in clinician-rated score by 12 weeks. The intervention was reported as safe and well tolerated.

What this study can and cannot tell us

The trial produced inconsistent results depending on who rated outcomes. The positive clinician signal should not be presented without the null caregiver-rated results, and additional trials are needed to resolve that discrepancy.

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Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology