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. 2017 Nov;47(11):3608-3619.
doi: 10.1007/s10803-017-3277-z.

Bone Mineral Density in Boys Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Case-Control Study

Kelly Barnhill  1 , Lucas Ramirez  2   3 , Alan Gutierrez  2 , Wendy Richardson  2 , C Nathan Marti  4 , Amy Potts  2   5 , Rebeca Shearer  2 , Claire Schutte  2 , Laura Hewitson  2
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Bone Mineral Density in Boys Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Case-Control Study

Kelly Barnhill et al. J Autism Dev Disord. 2017 Nov.

Abstract

This study compared bone mineral density (BMD) of the spine obtained by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), nutritional status, biochemical markers, and gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in 4-8 year old boys with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) with a group of age-matched, healthy boys without ASD. Boys with ASD had significantly lower spine BMD compared to controls but this was not correlated with any biochemical markers, dietary intake of calcium and vitamin D, elimination diet status, or GI symptomology. Reduced BMD in 4-8 year old boys with ASD appears to involve factors other than nutrient intake and GI status, and requires further study.

Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder; Bone mineral density; Gastrointestinal symptoms; Gluten-free/casein-free diet; Nutrition; Vitamin D.

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