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Dietary intake, nutrient status, and growth parameters in children with autism spectrum disorder and severe food selectivity: an electronic medical record review
This 2018 study set out to better understand the clinical characteristics of severe food selectivity in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Sharp et al. inspected the electronic medical record review of children (aged 2 to 17 years) with ASD and severe food selectivity, who attended a specialty feeding clinic in the southeastern United States between January 2014 and January 2016. Severe food selectivity in this context was defined as the complete omission of one or more food groups (fruit, vegetable, protein, grain, dairy) or the consumption of five or fewer different food items every week. Of the 70 children that had complete nutritional data and met the inclusion criteria, 47 (67%) were reported to omit vegetables while 19 (27%) did not eat any fruits. But 78% of the included subjects showed diets likely to be deficient in five or more minerals/nutrients. These kids with 5+ inadequacies in their diet were also more likely to make negative statements during meals. Specifically, vitamin D insufficiency was seen in 97% of the sample, while fiber, vitamin E, and calcium were found to be lacking in 91%, 83%, and 71%, respectively. It was therefore concluded that these children with autism and severe food selectivity may be at increased risk of nutritional deficiencies. [NPID: ASD, Autism, Autism Spectrum Disorder, brain development, cognition, communication, social skills, neurodevelopmental disorders, picky eaters, food selectivity, fiber, vitamin E, calcium]
Year: 2018
