Abstract

Background

Researches have found that alteration of intestinal flora may be closely related to the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, whether probiotics supplementation has a protective effect on ASD remains controversial. This meta-analysis aimed to analyze the outcome of probiotics in the treatment of ASD children.

Methods

The Pubmed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and Embase were searched until Sep 2022. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) relevant to the probiotics and placebo treatment on ASD children were screened. Quality assessment of the included RCTs was evaluated by the Cochrane collaboration’s tool. The primary outcomes were ASD assessment scales, including ABC (aberrant behavior checklist) and CBCL (child behavior checklist) for evaluating the behavior improvement, SRS (social responsiveness scale) for social assessment, DQ (developmental quotient) for physical and mental development and CGI-I (clinical global impression improvement) for overall improvement. The secondary outcome was total 6-GSI (gastrointestinal severity index).

Results

In total, 6 RCTs from 6 studies with 302 children were included in the systemic review. Total 6-GSI (MD=-0.59, 95%CI [-1.02,-0.17], P < 0.05) decreased significantly after oral administration of probiotics. Whereas, there was no statistical difference in ABC, CBCL, SRS, DQ and CGI-I between probiotics and placebo groups in ASD children.

Conclusion

Probiotics treatment could improve gastrointestinal symptoms, but there was no significant improvement in ASD.

Details

Title
Effect of probiotics on children with autism spectrum disorders: a meta-analysis
Author
Zeng, Ping; Cheng-zhi, Zhang; Zhi-xing Fan; Chao-jun, Yang; Wan-yin, Cai; Yi-fan, Huang; Zu-jin, Xiang; Jing-yi, Wu; Zhang, Jing; Yang, Jian
Pages
1-9
Section
Research
Publication year
2024
Publication date
2024
Publisher
BioMed Central
ISSN
17208424
e-ISSN
18247288
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3079252228
Copyright
© 2024. This work is licensed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.