16/07/2025
Weekly Alert: A Mitochondrial Supplement Improves Function and Mitochondrial Activity in Autism: A Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Cross-Over Trial in International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2025.
Between 5 and 80% of children have been shown to demonstrate dysfunction, with 5% of them being diagnosed with mitochondrial disease.
This study aimed to determine whether a mitochondrial-targeted designed for autistic children improved mitochondrial function and ASD .
This was a 24-week (12 weeks on therapy or placebo then vice versa for 12 weeks), double-blind placebo-controlled cross-over trial of sixteen children [mean age 9 years 4 months; 88% male] with non-syndromic and mitochondrial enzyme abnormalities, as measured by MitoSwab.
The results showed that the therapy improved mitochondrial function as measured by normalised citrate synthase and complex IV activity and mitochondrial respiration of peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Mitochondria also became more resilient to oxidative stress, particularly in those with poor neurodevelopment. Parents also reported improvements to social withdrawal, and hyperactivity.
The authors concluded that this small study demonstrated that a simple, well-tolerated mitochondrial supplement can improve mitochondrial activity and symptoms in autistic children.
The review is available in full on the https://www.nutrition-evidence.com/article/40141123. The next Nutrition Evidence alert is due out soon. Sign up now so you don’t miss out https://www.nutrition-evidence.com. Signing up will give you access to the top research picks from one of our experts.
