Digestive Enzymes & Autism: Can They Help?

observational-study PMID: 29562612

Quick Summary: A study found that a combination of treatments, including digestive enzymes, improved thinking skills and reduced autism symptoms in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, it's important to know that digestive enzymes were just one part of a larger plan.

What The Research Found

The study looked at people with ASD who received a special program. This program included things like vitamins, healthy fats, and digestive enzymes. After a year, the group that received the program showed improvements in their nonverbal intelligence (like problem-solving) and a decrease in autism symptoms.

Study Details

Who was studied: 67 children and adults (ages 3-58) with autism, plus 50 typically developing people.

How long: The study lasted for 12 months (one year).

What they took: The treatment group received a mix of things, including:

Vitamin and mineral supplements
Essential fatty acids
Epsom salt baths
Carnitine
Digestive enzymes
A special diet that was gluten-free, casein-free, and soy-free (HGCSF)

What This Means For You

This research suggests that a comprehensive approach, including digestive enzymes, might help improve some symptoms of autism. However, it's important to remember:

Talk to your doctor: Before making any changes to your or your child's diet or supplement routine, always talk to your doctor or a qualified healthcare professional.

Digestive enzymes are not a magic bullet: They were part of a larger program.

Consider a multi-faceted approach: This study highlights the potential benefits of a combined approach, including diet and other supplements, under medical supervision.

Study Limitations

We don't know the exact impact of digestive enzymes alone: The study used many treatments at once, so we can't say for sure how much the digestive enzymes helped on their own.

The study used parent reports: Some of the results were based on what parents reported, which can sometimes be influenced by their own expectations.

The dosage of digestive enzymes wasn't specified: The study didn't provide specific details about the type or amount of digestive enzymes used.

Key Findings

The study found that a multi-component nutritional intervention—including digestive enzymes—led to significant improvements in nonverbal intellectual ability (+6.7 IQ points vs. -0.6 in controls, p = 0.0005) and autism symptoms in the treatment group. Secondary outcomes showed reductions in ATEC total scores (a measure of autism severity) and improvements in parent-rated PGI-2 scores (a global improvement scale). However, digestive enzymes were part of a sequential intervention, so their individual contribution could not be isolated.

Study Design

This was a randomized, controlled, single-blind 12-month trial involving 67 individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; ages 3–58 years) and 50 non-sibling neurotypical controls. Participants were recruited from Arizona. The intervention group received a combination of vitamin/mineral supplements, essential fatty acids, Epsom salt baths, carnitine, digestive enzymes, and a gluten-free, casein-free, soy-free (HGCSF) diet, introduced sequentially over the study period.

Dosage & Administration

Digestive enzymes were administered as part of a multi-step protocol after initial supplementation with vitamins/minerals and fatty acids. The exact dosage or formulation of the digestive enzymes was not specified in the provided summary. The intervention was tailored to participants’ clinical status and tolerance, with the HGCSF diet introduced last.

Results & Efficacy

The treatment group showed statistically significant improvements in nonverbal IQ (p = 0.0005) and PGI-2 global functioning scores (p = 0.0002), with 70% of treated participants improving ≥1 standard deviation on PGI-2 compared to 28% in controls. ATEC scores decreased by 1.8 points/month in the treatment group (p < 0.0001), indicating reduced autism severity. Subgroup analyses noted improvements in cognition, sociability, and health behaviors, but no data on enzyme-specific efficacy was reported.

Limitations

Multi-component intervention: Effects cannot be attributed to digestive enzymes alone.
Control group selection: Non-sibling neurotypical controls may not account for familial/genetic factors.
Blinding limitations: Single-blind design (assessors blinded, but participants aware) increases placebo effect risk.
Subjective measures: ATEC and PGI-2 scores relied on parent reports, which may introduce bias.
Dosage ambiguity: Digestive enzyme dosing details were unspecified in the summary.
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