Condition

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that begins in early childhood. It affects a person’s ability to interact socially, communicate, and learn. ASD comes with varying degrees of differences, which is why it is called a “spectrum” disorder.

Supplements studied: 8
Graded outcomes: 5
Trials: 9
People studied: 1,925

Evidence by supplement

Strong
Moderate
Limited
Very limited

8 supplements

N-Acetylcysteine

N-Acetylcysteine: outcomes studied for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Autism Symptoms Small Improvement	Improves (the measure goes down)	Small effect		56 people
	Irritability	Improves (the measure goes down)		2 studies	56 people
Studies that measured irritability A randomized controlled pilot trial of oral N-acetylcysteine in children with autismBiol Psychiatry · PMID 22342106 A randomized double blind placebo controlled clinical trial of N-Acetylcysteine added to risperidone for treating autistic disordersBMC Psychiatry · PMID 23886027

Sulforaphane

Sulforaphane: outcomes studied for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Outcome	Effect	Size	People
Behavioral Symptoms (ABC) 34% improvement in Aberrant Behavior Checklist scores	Improves (the measure goes down)	Moderate effect	150 people
Social Responsiveness (SRS) 17% improvement in Social Responsiveness Scale	Improves (the measure goes up)	Small effect	120 people
Cognitive Function Small Improvement in cognitive measures	Improves (the measure goes up)	Small effect	90 people

Coenzyme Q10

Anti-Oxidant Enzyme Profile: improves
Oxidative Stress Biomarkers: improves
Autism Symptoms: improves

Coenzyme Q10: outcomes studied for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People
	Anti-Oxidant Enzyme Profile Small Increase	Improves (the measure goes up)	Small effect	2 studies	78 people
Studies that measured anti-oxidant enzyme profile Effect of Coenzyme Q10 supplementation on antioxidant enzymes activity and oxidative stress of seminal plasma: a double-blind randomised clinical trialAndrologia · PMID 23289958 Coenzyme Q10 supplementation reduces oxidative stress and increase antioxidant enzyme activity in patients with coronary artery diseaseNutrition · PMID 21996047
	Oxidative Stress Biomarkers	Improves (the measure goes down)		9 studies	78 people
Studies that measured oxidative stress biomarkers Oxidative stress correlates with headache symptoms in fibromyalgia: coenzyme Q₁₀ effect on clinical improvementPLoS One · PMID 22532869 Coenzyme Q10 supplementation alleviates pain in pregabalin-treated fibromyalgia patients via reducing brain activity and mitochondrial dysfunctionFree Radic Res · PMID 31387429 Reversal of mitochondrial dysfunction by coenzyme Q10 supplement improves endothelial function in patients with ischaemic left ventricular systolic dysfunction: a randomized controlled trialAtherosclerosis · PMID 21388622 and 6 more on the Coenzyme Q10 page
	Autism Symptoms	Improves (the measure goes down)			78 people

Probiotics

Autism Symptoms: improves

Probiotics: outcomes studied for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People	Studies list
	Autism Symptoms	Improves (the measure goes down)		3 studies	480 people
Studies that measured autism symptoms The impact of probiotics on core autism symptoms - A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.Clin Nutr ESPEN · PMID 39173907 Efficacy and safety of Bacteroides fragilis BF839 for pediatric autism spectrum disorder: a randomized clinical trial.Front Nutr · PMID 39290561 Probiotics for autism spectrum disorder: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis of effects on symptoms.J Psychiatr Res · PMID 39265200

Ginkgo Biloba

Autism Symptoms: improves

Ginkgo Biloba: outcomes studied for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People	Studies list
	Autism Symptoms	Improves (the measure goes down)		2 studies	50 people
Studies that measured autism symptoms First preliminary results of an observation of Ginkgo Biloba treating patients with autistic disorderPhytother Res · PMID 19274699 A double-blind placebo controlled trial of Ginkgo biloba added to risperidone in patients with autistic disordersChild Psychiatry Hum Dev · PMID 22392415

Fish Oil

Autism Symptoms: improves

Fish Oil: outcomes studied for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People	Studies list
	Autism Symptoms	Improves (the measure goes down)		1 study	54 people
Studies that measured autism symptoms The effect of omega-3 fatty acids supplementation on social and behavioral disorders of children with autism: a randomized clinical trialPediatr Endocrinol Diabetes Metab · PMID 33599431

L-Carnitine

Autism Symptoms: improves

L-Carnitine: outcomes studied for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People	Studies list
	Autism Symptoms	Improves (the measure goes down)		1 study	30 people
Studies that measured autism symptoms A prospective double-blind, randomized clinical trial of levocarnitine to treat autism spectrum disordersMed Sci Monit · PMID 21629200

Inositol

Autism Symptoms: improves

Inositol: outcomes studied for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Grade	Outcome	Effect	Size	Studies	People	Studies list
	Autism Symptoms	Improves (the measure goes down)		1 study	9 people
Studies that measured autism symptoms Inositol treatment of autismJ Neural Transm · PMID 9203092

Key findings

Autism SymptomsN-AcetylcysteineImproves (the measure goes down)
Behavioral Symptoms (ABC)SulforaphaneImproves (the measure goes down)
Social Responsiveness (SRS)SulforaphaneImproves (the measure goes up)

The Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Nutritional Support protocol

2 primary supplements · 6 supporting supplements

Omega-3 Fatty Acids500–1,000 mg EPA+DHA daily for children (weight-based)
ProbioticsMulti-strain formula, 5–10 billion CFU daily

See the full protocol

Studies cited

1 study from PubMed

The effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions for children with autism and their parents: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Front Psychol · PMID 40657585

Evidence by supplement

Key findings

The Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Nutritional Support protocol

Studies cited

Related conditions

Supplement stack for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)