Functional Training and Nutritional Education Improved Oxidative Stress in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder- A Randomized Clinical Trial

Covid-19 pandemic has affected individual lives in several aspects including physical activity and dietary pattern. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neuro-developmental disorder which is mostly known as social interaction impairment. It has been suggested that physical inactivity and proper diet, are common challenges among individuals with ASD. The purpose of this clinical trial was to investigate the effect of functional training along with online nutritional education on inflammatory biomarkers among children diagnosed with ASD. The participants were randomly divided into four groups including: 1) functional training, 2) online nutritional education, 3) training+ education and 4) control group. The intervention lasted for 8 weeks. The inflammatory biomarkers were assessed using anterior cubital blood vein samples, both before and after the study. Our results demostrated a significant increase in SOD (p˂0.001), GPx (p=0.02) and CAT (p˂0.001) level. However, there was no significant difference for LDH between the experimental groups(p=0.3). In conclusion, functional training and online nutritional education can be considered as beneficial interventions for antioxidant enzyme but not for LDH, in children with ASD, which can be recommended for health status improvement