Funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.3, Theme 10.
Funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.3, Theme 10.
Nutritional status and adverse food reactions in children with autism ...
Coordinator
Profiling of vulnerable targets (in connection with SPOKE 5) through: a) analyses of existing data in children affected by obesity and ageing population at risk of malnutrition and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) b) screening of socioeconomic factors, lifestyle and dietary habits, environmental factors, food knowledge, nutritional status, body composition, functional status and disability, quality of life, genetic, metagenetic, phenotypic profiles, exposure to endocrine disruptors chemicals (EDCs), immune system functions in children and aging population with malnutrition c) human-derived biological samples analysis (including samples for the gut microbiome structure analysis and function).
Identification and application of biomarkers of malnutrition (including inflammatory, metabolic, microbiological, genetic and epigenetic ones) and biochemical pathways associated with diet and age-related diseases/ syndromes for early malnutrition detection and quality of life restoration in target specific categories.
Systematic evaluation of existing data on nutritional status and critical issues for target specific groups with malnutrition (M8)
Identification and mapping of specific target groups with malnutrition (M24)
Creation of a biobank for biological samples in connection with Spoke 5 (M36)
New biomarkers of malnutrition specific for diseases and age and related to diet (M24)
Identification of biochemical pathways interconnected with biomarkers of malnutrition and immunological responses (M36)
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is major chronic condition for the EU pediatric population.
ASD children may have selective eating patterns and inadequate nutrition, implying risks of nutritional status impairment. Malnutrition status could worsen the clinical severity and the prognosis of these patients.
Furthermore, inadequate dietary habits induce alterations of gut microbiome (GM) composition and function. Gut microbiome dysbiosis may affect the susceptibility to adverse food reactions (AFR) (e.g., food allergy) by modulating type 2 immunity, influencing immune tolerance, and promoting intestinal barrier function.
This study is aimed at comparatively investigate nutritional status, dietary habits, GM features, and AFR prevalence in ASD patients and in healthy controls.
It will be enrolled n=100 ASD patients, of both sexes, aged 18 months-7 years, and n=100 age-, sex-, socioeconomic status-matched healthy controls observed at a Tertiary center for Pediatric Neuropsychiatry, Gastroenterology, Allergy and Nutrition of the Department of Translational Medical Science at the University Federico II (Naples, Italy).
The following variables will be collected:
1) anthropometric parameters for the nutritional status assessment (height, weight, body mass index and relative percentiles and z-score);
2) 3-day food records for the dietary habits assessment; feeding Habits Questionnaire and Food Preferences Inventory questionnaires and the KIDMED questionnaire for the assessment of food selectivity and Mediterranean diet-adherence, respectively;
3) stool samples for the GM evaluation;
4) AFR screening test.
The evaluation of nutritional status, dietary habits, GM features, and AFR prevalence in ASD patients could pave the way to the development of nutritional strategies for improving core and associated ASD-related conditions, such as malnutrition and AFR.
