Effects of Vitamin D and/or Aquatic Exercise on IL-1β and IL-1RA Serum Levels and Behavior of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Background & Aims: Immune system abnormalities such as inflammation, increased autoimmunity and the skewed expression of soluble mediators, including cytokines have been observed in autistic patients. The present study aimed to compare the effects of vitamin D supplementation and/or aquatic exercise training on the serum level of inflammatory cytokines, including IL-1β and IL-1RA, and stereotypic behaviors (S.B) of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Materials & Methods: We recruited 40 children with ASD (aged 6-14) and divided them into the aquatic exercise (n = 10), vitamin D supplementary (n=10), aquatic +supplementation (n=10), and control (n=10) groups. Participants in the aquatic exercise group performed water-based activities for 10 weeks/2 sessions per week/60 min, while the participants of the supplementary group orally received 50,000 IU vitamin D3/ day, and the combined group received both exercise and supplementation, control group did not get any intervention. We evaluated the participants' serum levels of IL-1β, IL-1RA and S.B scores at baseline and the end of the treatment. Results: Results revealed that all three interventional approaches improved behavioral symptoms and IL-1β serum level; interestingly, only the combined intervention could significantly affect IL-1RA. Conclusions: We concluded that both aqua-based exercise and vitamin D supplements could lead to significant improvement in serum cytokine levels and behavioral problems in children with ASD.

Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation on Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

“…The main characteristics of the selected studies are illustrated in Table 1 . Among the 8 selected studies, three were conducted in New Zealand [ 29 , 38 , 39 ], three were conducted in Iran [ 28 , 30 , 41 ], one was conducted in Ireland [ 31 ] and one was conducted in China [ 40 ]. Six studies recruited both male and female participants, and two studies recruited males only.…”

“…Figure 2 shows the risk of bias in the included RCTs. Three studies that did not mention the random-sequence generation method were considered to have an unclear risk of randomization bias [ 28 , 40 , 41 ]. Four studies were considered to have an unclear risk of allocation concealment bias owing to insufficient information [ 28 , 31 , 40 , 41 ].…”

“…Three studies that did not mention the random-sequence generation method were considered to have an unclear risk of randomization bias [ 28 , 40 , 41 ]. Four studies were considered to have an unclear risk of allocation concealment bias owing to insufficient information [ 28 , 31 , 40 , 41 ]. Three studies were assessed as having an unclear risk of performance bias and detection bias due to an insufficient description of double blinding (researchers and children/ caregivers) and no details were provided for outcome assessment blinding [ 28 , 31 , 41 ].…”

“…Four studies were considered to have an unclear risk of allocation concealment bias owing to insufficient information [ 28 , 31 , 40 , 41 ]. Three studies were assessed as having an unclear risk of performance bias and detection bias due to an insufficient description of double blinding (researchers and children/ caregivers) and no details were provided for outcome assessment blinding [ 28 , 31 , 41 ]. Two studies were considered to have an unclear risk of attrition bias due to a lack of description about the loss to follow-up [ 39 , 41 ].…”

Effect of Regular Swimming Training and Healthy Dietary Pattern on Endocrine-Related Indicators in Autism Spectrum Disorder – A New Insight

“…In this study, caregivers participated as assistants to improve family and ASD individuals' dietary patterns according to recommended guidelines and report the changes after 12 weeks. They were also asked to refer to a health professional in case of nutritional assessments to take a suitable step including supplementation which can be effective, especially when combined with aquatic training [19].…”