Bone health in children and youth with ASD: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Higher risk of fracture reported in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) might be linked to poor bone health and development in childhood. This study aimed to systematically review studies comparing imaged bone outcomes between children with ASD and typically developing children (TDC) or reference data, and to perform a meta-analysis comparing commonly reported bone outcomes. We searched articles published since August 2020 from PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Scopus databases. We included studies comparing areal bone mineral density (aBMD) between children with ASD and TDC in the qualitative analysis (meta-analysis), and evaluated other imaged bone outcomes qualitatively. Seven publications were identified for the systematic review, and four studies were included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis indicated lower aBMD at the total body (standardized mean difference = - 0.77; 95% CI, - 1.26 to - 0.28), lumbar spine (- 0.69; - 1.00 to - 0.39), total hip (- 1.00; - 1.82 to - 0.17), and femoral neck (- 1.07; - 1.54 to - 0.60) in children with ASD compared to TDC. Based on our qualitative review, limited evidence suggested 13% lower bone mineral content at the total body and 10-20% lower cortical area, cortical and trabecular thickness, and bone strength at the distal radius and tibia in children with ASD. Children with ASD have lower aBMD at the total body, lumbar spine, and hip and femoral neck compared to TDC. Limited evidence also suggests deficits in bone mineral content, micro-architecture, and strength in children with ASD.

Effect of Clupeonella grimmi [anchovy/kilka] fish oil on dysmenorrhoea

To examine whether dietary supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids from Clupeonella grimmi can relieve symptoms of dysmenorrhoea, we carried out a cross-over clinical trial on 36 girls aged 18-22 years. They were randomly allocated into 2 groups of 18. Group A received 15 mL fish oil daily [550 mg eicosapentaenoic acid; 205 mg decosahexaenoic acid] while Group B received placebo. After 3 months, the treatment regimens were swapped. The treatment groups reported a significant difference after 3 months of supplementation with fish oil [visual analogue scale score 20.9 compared with 61.8 for the placebo [P = 0.001]. There was also a marked reduction in low back pain and abdominal pain [P < 0.05], and participants needed significantly fewer rescue doses of ibuprofen while using fish oil