Abstract
Diet is one of the most influential environmental factors in determining the composition of the gastrointestinal microbiota. Microbial dysbiosis in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and the impact of some bacterial taxa on symptoms of ASD has been recognized. Children with ASD are often described as picky eaters with low intake of fiber-rich foods, including fruits and vegetables. However, the impact of diet on the microbiota composition in children with ASD is largely unknown. Herein, fecal samples, 3 day food diaries and the Youth and Adolescence Food Frequency questionnaire (YAQ) were collected from children with ASD (ASD; n = 26) and unaffected controls (CONT; n = 32). Children's ASD symptoms were determined using the Pervasive Developmental Disorder Behavior Inventory Screening Version (PDDBI-SV). Differences in the microbiota composition at the phyla, order, family, and genus level between ASD and CONT were observed. Microbiota composition of children with ASD was investigated in relation to feeding behavior, nutrient and food group intake as well as dietary patterns derived from the YAQ. In children with ASD, two distinct dietary patterns (DP) were associated with unique microbial profiles. DP1, characterized by higher intakes of vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, fruit, refined carbohydrates, and starchy vegetables, but lower intakes of sweets, was associated with lower abundance of Enterobacteriaceae, Lactococcus, Roseburia, Leuconostoc, and Ruminococcus. DP2, characterized by low intakes of vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds and starchy vegetables, was associated with higher Barnesiellaceae and Alistipes and lower Streptophyta, as well as higher levels of propionate, isobutyrate, valerate, and isovalerate. Peptostreptococcaceae and Faecalibacterium predicted social deficit scores in children with ASD as measured by the PDDBI-SV. Diet-associated microbial profiles were related to GI symptoms, but no significant interaction between nutrition and microbiota in predicting social deficit scores were observed. In conclusion, dietary patterns associated with fecal microbiota composition and VFA concentrations in children with ASD were identified. Future studies using a larger sample size and measuring other behaviors associated with ASD are needed to investigate whether dietary intake may be a modifiable moderator of ASD symptoms.
Highlights
The gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota is influenced by a variety of environmental factors, including geographical region, presence of pets in the household and dietary factors
Even though diet represents a major environmental factor that influences GI microbiota composition and inadequate nutrient intake is often reported in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (Cermak et al, 2010), studies investigating the microbiota in children with ASD have not systematically investigated the diet-microbiota interaction in this population
Specific nutrients or food groups were evaluated for their potential to influence the microbiota-brain connection in ASD
Summary
The gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota is influenced by a variety of environmental factors, including geographical region, presence of pets in the household and dietary factors. We have previously demonstrated that habitual dietary patterns are associated with a distinct microbial profile and microbial stability over a 6 months period in 4–8 year-old children (Berding et al, 2018). The GI microbiota has been implicated as a potential pathway affecting symptom manifestation in cognitive and neurodevelopmental disorders, such as anxiety, depression and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Aberrations in the GI microbiota in children with ASD have been reported and associations between specific microbial genera and some symptoms of ASD have been described (Tomova et al, 2015). A lower ratio of Bacteroidetes-to-Firmicutes and a higher abundance of Clostridium and Desulfovibrio were positively associated with severity of ASD symptoms (Tomova et al, 2015). Differences in microbial products, such as volatile chain fatty acids (VFA), between children with ASD and unaffected controls have been observed (Wang et al, 2012)
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