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Effects of Probiotics on Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Clinical
Xiao He1, Wenxi Liu1, Fengrao Tang1
1Department of Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Dalian Medical University, No. 9 South Road, Lvshun District, Dalian 116044, China.
Insights
Probiotics show no significant overall effect on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) behavioral symptoms in children. However, probiotic blends may offer benefits, warranting further high-quality research for definitive conclusions.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Microbiome Research
Background:
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects millions of children globally.
- The gut microbiome's role in ASD is an emerging area of research.
- Probiotics are investigated for potential therapeutic benefits in ASD.
Conclusions:
- Current evidence is insufficient to confirm probiotics' efficacy for ASD behavioral symptoms.
- Probiotic blends show potential but require more rigorous investigation.
- High-quality, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials are needed.
Abstract:
Many studies have explored the efficacy of probiotics on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children, but there is no consensus on the curative effect. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to comprehensively investigate whether probiotics could improve behavioral symptoms in children with ASD. A systematic database search was conducted and a total of seven studies were included in the meta-analysis. We found a nonsignificant overall effect size of probiotics on behavioral symptoms in children with ASD (SMD = -0.24, 95% CI: -0.60 to 0.11, p = 0.18). However, a significant overall effect size was found in the subgroup of the probiotic blend (SMD = -0.42, 95% CI: -0.83 to -0.02, p = 0.04). Additionally, these studies provided limited evidence for the efficacy of probiotics due to their small sample sizes, a shorter intervention duration, different probiotics used, different scales used, and poor research quality. Thus, randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled studies following strict trial guidelines are needed to precisely demonstrate the therapeutic effects of probiotics on ASD in children.
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