A paper published by Italian researchers in Nutrients reported on potential links between the microbiome and autism in children. This small study compared children diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) with their siblings and parents. The study looked at the gut bacteriome and microbiome of children with ASD (n = 17) compared with their non-ASD siblings (n = 9) and parents without ASD (n = 27), alongside detailed dietary assessment (n = 79) using 7-day food diaries. The researchers concluded that it is most likely the selective and repetitive eating behaviours characteristic of ASD which leads to an altered microbiome, and that it is therefore likely that an altered microbiome is a result of dietary behaviour rather than an altered microbiome being a potential link to ASD itself.
Sorge G, Sarchiapone M and Di Martino L (2025) Dietary Patterns, Not Gut Microbiome Composition, Are Associated with Behavioral Challenges in Children with Autism: An Observational Study. Nutrients, 17(21),3476; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17213476
