Autistic people surviving on highly restricted diets may become vulnerable to scurvy and eye disorders.
New work led by dietician Summer Yule found severe nutritional deficiencies in narrow diets can leave people with a range of health problems.
Summer Yule’s review found those with autism on severely restricted diets could be risking their health
Yule’s work reviewed 76 cases involving patients aged from two to 17.
Scurvy the commonest problem
She found severe nutritional deficiencies had very strong links to scurvy.
Almost 70 per cent of the published cases Yule looked at involved scurvy. The condition is caused by a deficiency of vicamin C.
The NHS lists symptoms of scurvy that include tiredness, irritability, sadness, severe joint and leg pain, swollen or bleeding gums and tooth decay.
Eye disorders the next most common
Connecticut-based Yule found the next most common complaint was eye disorders. These had links to a deficiency of vitamin A.
Yule found 13 of the cases (17 per cent) involved eye disorders.
Other nutritional deficiencies found in the cases were in vitamins B1, B12 and D.
Yule’s work concluded that picky eaters of any weight “can benefit from early and frequent screening” to ensure they get enough nutrition.
Her review stressed that this applies regardless of whether they have an autism diagnosis.
Caregivers ‘should raise concerns about restrictive diets’
In an email, Yule said caregivers should raise any concerns about restrictive diets with medics.
She stressed that “feeding therapies” are available with “tailored strategies” that can be used in the home.
A spokesperson for biomedical charity Thinking Autism said poor underlying gut health may cause narrow diets in autism.
A wealth of research has shown that people with autism are more vulnerable to poor gut health.
Those living on severely restricted diets need “appropriate medical investigations”, says the charity.
The Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has published Yule’s review online. Click here to read it.
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Published: 1 December 2020
