Probiotics tailored to an individual’s gut microbiome and dietary habits may be helpful in improving behavioral symptoms associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to a joint metagenomics study by researchers with Sun Genomics and Arizona State University.
 
In a three-month study on 170 people, made up of children and adults with ASD and age-matched controls, researchers sought to determine whether treatment with probiotic supplements tailored to an individual’s gut microbiome and certain dietary habits would lead to changes in behavioral symptoms associated with autism.
 
By the end of the three-month study, more than half of participants experienced moderate improvements in measures of receptive language and comprehension, expressive language and speech, cognition and thinking, and gastrointestinal symptoms after taking Floré, a personalized probiotic made by Sun Genomics.
 
“With participants reporting improvements in both autism spectrum disorder symptoms and gastrointestinal discomfort after the trial, we are pleased that our easily accessible solution had such a positive impact on their well-being,” said Sunny Jain, founder and CEO of Floré. “Our research uncovered critical insight into the connection between precision nutrition, in the form of precision probiotics, and both gut health and autism spectrum disorder. We arehopeful that our joint research will lead to credible, less invasive solutions to improve symptoms and enhance the quality of life for so many around the world.”
 
Certain dietary choices, such as eating fruit, also appeared to influence the composition of gut microbes, which could improve symptom management, the authors noted, and combined with probiotics, may lead to improvements in overall quality of life.
 
Outcomes were assessed using a number of evaluations, including the Parent Global Impressions of Autism (PGIA), Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale, and Social Responsiveness Scale.
 
Personalized prebiotic supplementation was associated with overall improvements in ASD related symptoms and gastrointestinal health in 62% of individuals with ASD. Moderate improvements were observed in thinking abilities, sensory experiences, and overall autism-related symptoms among participants.
 
While there wasn’t a significant overall difference in the variety of microbes (beta diversity) between groups, there were notable changes in the diversity of microbes within the individual (alpha diversity). Dietary habits outside of the study, like fruit consumption, were associated with increases in microbial diversity and specific species, and were alsao associated with improved GI symptoms and autism-related issues.
 
Finally, there were also significant variations in microbial composition between individuals who followed a gluten- and dairy-free diet and those who consumed these products.
 
This collaborative clinical trial was conducted with ASU professors James Adams and Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown, and leverage the success and findings of ASU’s 2019 autism research, along with an earlier 2017 study which both found that microbiota transplant therapy (MTT) greatly improved gut diversity in 18 children with autism.
 
“This is the largest metagenomics study of adults and children with autism spectrum disorder with an intervention targeting the microbiome,” said Krajmalnik-Brown, director of the Biodesign Center for Health Through Microbiomes at the ASU Biodesign Institute. “Although the results are preliminary, we hope to learn more about who potentially could be good candidates for this precision approach and learn which probiotic formulations work best to help more people.”
 
As a result of the study’s findings, Sun Genomics is developing and beta-testing three custom Floré probiotic formulations for people with neurodiversity to help improve gastrointestinal symptoms and support mood, speech, and neurological pathways. The next step is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study, which is needed to confirm the clinical study findings.