Abstract
Omega-6 (n-6) and omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are essential nutrients for brain development and function. However, whether or not the levels of these fatty acids are altered in individuals with autism remains debatable. In this study, we compared the fatty acid contents between 121 autistic patients and 110 non-autistic, non-developmentally delayed controls, aged 3–17. Analysis of the fatty acid composition of red blood cell (RBC) membrane phospholipids showed that the percentage of total PUFA was lower in autistic patients than in controls; levels of n-6 arachidonic acid (AA) and n-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were particularly decreased (p < 0.001). In addition, plasma levels of the pro-inflammatory AA metabolite prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) were higher in a subset of the autistic participants (n = 20) compared to controls. Our study demonstrates an alteration in the PUFA profile and increased production of a PUFA-derived metabolite in autistic patients, supporting the hypothesis that abnormal lipid metabolism is implicated in autism.
Highlights
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of related neurological developmental disorders that affect approximately 45 to 110 individuals per 10,000 [1]
To test the hypothesis that polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) would be lower in the red blood cell (RBC) membrane phospholipids of autistic individuals compared to controls, we conducted an independent-samples t-test assuming unequal variance to compare fatty acid compositions of the phospholipids of autistic individuals (n = 121) to those of non-autistic, non-developmentally delayed controls (n = 110)
When arachidonic acid (AA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) data were re-analyzed after the removal of outliers, p values became even more significant (p < 0.00001)
Summary
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of related neurological developmental disorders that affect approximately 45 to 110 individuals per 10,000 [1]. Small studies comparing the PUFA levels of plasma or RBC phospholipids between autistic and control individuals have reported mixed results. The largest study to date comparing plasma phospholipids of autistic (n = 153) and typically developing children (n = 97) was conducted by Weist and colleagues in 2009 [5] They found that in the phospholipid class of phosphatidylcholine, DHA was significantly lower in the autistic group than in the general population, while phospholipid AA levels were not significantly different between the groups, AA was found to be significantly lower in free fatty acids of the autistic participants. One hypothesis regarding a potential mechanism for lower PUFA levels in autistic individuals is that the PUFA metabolism pathway may be overactive in autism, leading to rapid conversion from AA and DHA to their respective eicosanoids [24].
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