NAC May Ease Autism Symptoms

Research published in the June 1 issue of Biological Psychiatry suggests that supplementing a diet with N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a precursor to one of the body's most powerful antioxidants, glutathione, may improve symptoms in autistic children. 33 autistic children were given 900 mg of NAC daily for 4 weeks, then 900 mg twice daily for another 4 weeks, then NAC three times per day for the last 12 weeks. After 4 weeks there were noticeable changes in the group taking NAC as compared to the placebo group. NAC is generally very well tolerated. Glutathione is also very important in the body's detoxification and biotransformation processes. It has been suggested that some children on the spectrum are less able to detoxify or break down various pollutants and chemicals. Research such as this is very exciting.