Efficacy of Sulforaphane in Treatment of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Multi-center Trial.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Individual randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial
PubMed 36427174 · doi:10.1007/s10803-022-05784-9
What was done
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter trial evaluated the safety and efficacy of sulforaphane over 12 weeks in 108 children with autism spectrum disorder across multiple centers in China. Outcomes were measured using both caregiver-rated and clinician-rated symptom scales.
What was found
Caregiver-rated scales showed no significant difference between the sulforaphane and placebo groups. In contrast, clinician-rated scales showed significant improvement with sulforaphane, with one-third (33%) of treated participants achieving at least a 30% reduction in score at 12 weeks. Greater improvements were observed in children older than 10 years, and benefits spanned the full range of intelligence. The abstract does not report specific baseline or endpoint score values, confidence intervals, or exact p-values. Sulforaphane was safe and well-tolerated.
Why it matters
This represents one of the larger randomized trials of sulforaphane in autism, but the divergence between clinician and caregiver assessments highlights the need for cautious interpretation of its clinical utility.
Limits
The primary limitation is the discordance between clinician-rated benefits and negative caregiver-rated outcomes. The abstract omits precise quantitative data, specific scale names, effect sizes, and p-values. Follow-up was limited to 12 weeks, and the trial was restricted to a pediatric cohort in China.