Effect of L- Carnosine, DHA and vitamin D3 on children with down’s syndrome- a pilot study on Indian population

Abstract

Background: Down syndrome (DS) is one of the leading genetic causes of intellectual disability (ID) accounting 15–20% of ID population across the world. Early intervention is the potential treatment; alternative therapies like occupational and physical therapy are carried to improve different skills in the child with DS. L-Carnosine is the first dietary supplement that helps in improving cognitive and behavioural symptoms. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) improves learning and memory abilities. Vitamin D3 is a therapeutic neuroprotector and its supplementation with DHA improves certain behaviours associated with ADHD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and impulsive behaviour by regulating serotonin production and function. This study was aimed to determine the synergetic effect of L-Carnosine, DHA and Vitamin D3 in improving development in children with Down syndrome. Materials and Methods: The basic design of the study was an open label, placebo-controlled study with study duration of six months with 60 patients and analysis were carried out with the questionnaire created in reference to Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ). The main parameters studied were communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem solving, social and vocabulary skills. Results: Our results confirm that parameters related to communication, fine motor, gross motor, social skills, problem solving and vocabulary significantly improved in children who were supplemented with additional nutritional supplementation, when compared to the children who were notand the data were statistically significant p<0.05. Conclusion:The combination of L Carnosine, DHA and Vitamin D3 supplementation yields an increase in cognitive processing speed, language skills and improved motor skills.