Abstract
There
has been an impressive, little understood increase in cases of Autism
Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The lack of any distinctive pathogenetic
mechanism has hampered the development of any effective treatments.
Increasing evidence indicates oxidative stress, brain inflammation,
gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction and allergic symptoms may be present
in ASD patients. The flavone luteolin has anti-oxidant, anti-flammatory,
anti-allergy and neuroprotective properties. Given these findings, a
dietary supplement was developed with a unique mixture of luteolin with
the related flavonoids quercetin and rutin in a liposomal formulation of
olive kernel oil (OKO), which increases their absorption. Results are
presented for children with ASD (n=37, 4-14 years old) who had not
obtained any benefit from multiple other regimens and who used this
formulation for at least 4 months. GI and allergy symptoms improved in
about 75 percent of children, eye contact and attention in 50 percent,
social interaction in 25 percent and resumption of speech in about 10
percent. There were no adverse effects. Even though these results
represent an uncontrolled open case series, they are encouraging because
they suggest good tolerability and potential effectiveness.