The quality of evidence is downgraded by study limitations (unclear allocation concealment and blinding), by indirectness (differences between outcomes of interest and those reported: only short-term outcomes reported), and by imprecise results (few patients).
A Cochrane review included 2 studies with a total of 37 children (ranging in age from 3 to 17 years) diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). One study (duration of 6 weeks) included 13 children (all males) who had been diagnosed with autistic disorder and the other study (duration of 12 weeks) included 27 (24 males and 3 females) children who were diagnosed with ASD; all included participants displayed moderate to severe symptoms of ASD. Omega-3 fatty acids supplementation was compared with placebo, and the doses of omega-3 fatty acids supplementation ranged from 1.3 g/day (0.7 g of eicosapentaenoic acid and 0.46 g of docosahexaenoic acid) to 1.5 g/day (0.84 g of eicosapentaenoic acid and 0.7 g of docosahexaenoic acid).
There was no evidence that omega-3 supplements had an effect on social interaction (MD 0.82, 95% CI -2.84 to 4.48), communication (MD 0.62, 95% CI -0.89 to 2.14), stereotypy (MD 0.77, 95% CI -0.69 to 2.22), or hyperactivity (MD 3.46, 95% CI -0.79 to 7.70).
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