Vitamin D Status in Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Efficacy of Vitamin D Supplementation in Autistic Children

Vitamin D Status in Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Efficacy of Vitamin D Supplementation in Autistic Children - Vitamin D and Autism

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

JPRN

Registry ID

JPRN-UMIN000016770

Enrollment

100

Registered

2015-04-01

Start date

2014-03-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-06-29

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Interventions

vitamin D3 (300 IU/Kg/day not to exceed 5,000 IU/day

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: The present study included 122 Egyptian children with ASD (aged from three to nine years) participated in this case control, cross-sectional study. All patients were recruited from the neuropediatric clinics Assiut university hospitals and 5 private centers for autism in Assiut city, Upper Egypt.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: children with feeding problems or malnutrition were excluded from the study. Subjects who had associated gastrointestinal problems, autoimmune disorders, anemia, neurological diseases (such as cerebral palsy and tuberous sclerosis) and metabolic disorders (e.g. phenylketonuria) as well as any subjects receiving vitamin D containing preparations and drugs that may affect vitamin D (e.g. steroid and antiepileptics) were excluded.

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
We performed a case-controlled cross sectional analysis conducted on a 122 ASD children, to assess their vitamin D status compared to controls and the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and the severity of autism. We also conducted an open trial of vitamin D supplementation in ASD children. Fifty-seven % of the patients in the present study had vitamin D deficiency, and thirty % had vitamin D insufficiency. The mean 25-OHD levels in patients with severe autism were significantly lower than those in patients with mild/moderate autism. Serum 25-OHD levels had significant negative correlations with CARS scores.	—

Measure

Time frame

We performed a case-controlled cross sectional analysis conducted on a 122 ASD children, to assess their vitamin D status compared to controls and the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and the severity of autism. We also conducted an open trial of vitamin D supplementation in ASD children. Fifty-seven % of the patients in the present study had vitamin D deficiency, and thirty % had vitamin D insufficiency. The mean 25-OHD levels in patients with severe autism were significantly lower than those in patients with mild/moderate autism. Serum 25-OHD levels had significant negative correlations with CARS scores.

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Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Of the ASD group, 106 patients with low serum 25-OHD levels (<30 ng/ml) participated in the open label trial. They received 5000 IU/day of vitamin D3 for three months. Eighty-three subjects completed three months of daily vitamin D treatment. Collectively 80.72% (67/83) of subjects who received vitamin D3 treatment had significantly improved outcome, which was mainly in the sections of the CARS that measure behavior, eye contact and attention span.	—

Measure

Time frame

Of the ASD group, 106 patients with low serum 25-OHD levels (<30 ng/ml) participated in the open label trial. They received 5000 IU/day of vitamin D3 for three months. Eighty-three subjects completed three months of daily vitamin D treatment. Collectively 80.72% (67/83) of subjects who received vitamin D3 treatment had significantly improved outcome, which was mainly in the sections of the CARS that measure behavior, eye contact and attention span.

—

Countries

Africa

Contacts

Public ContactGeir Bjorklund,

Council for Nutritional and Environmental Medicine (CONEM) nutrition

bjorklund@conem.org4795255484

Outcome results

None listed

Source: JPRN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Jul 3, 2026