Study
Assessment of the Efficacy of Quercetin in Adult Patients With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized, Triple-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.
In 52 adults with autism, quercetin did not significantly outperform placebo on the main social-responsiveness comparison after 60 days.
Summary Does quercetin improve social difficulties or quality of life in autistic adults? Show / hide ↓
Researchers gave 52 autistic adults either quercetin or a look-alike placebo for 60 days. The trial was randomized and triple-blind, meaning assignments were by chance and neither participants nor key researchers knew who received quercetin until the end. Social Responsiveness Scale scores, a questionnaire about social difficulties, improved within the quercetin group, but the improvement was not clearly greater than with placebo. Some quality-of-life scores briefly favored quercetin, but these differences disappeared after adjusting the analysis.
What this means for you: This small, short study does not show that quercetin works better than placebo for autistic adults. It is reasonable to ignore quercetin as a proven treatment based on this study alone.
weak evidenceThis randomised, triple-blind, placebo-controlled trial assigned 52 adults with autism spectrum disorder to quercetin or placebo for 60 days. Social Responsiveness Scale scores, WHO Quality of Life domains and other clinical measures were assessed at baseline, 30 days and 60 days. Baseline demographics and comorbid conditions were similar between groups.
Within the quercetin group, Social Responsiveness Scale scores declined significantly over time, p = 0.010. The placebo group did not show a significant within-group change, p = 0.655. That contrast is not the decisive test, however: the difference between groups in score change was not statistically significant. At week 8, the physical-health WHO Quality of Life domain favoured quercetin before adjustment, p = 0.044, but was no longer significant after adjustment, p = 0.082. The environmental-health domain was borderline after adjustment, p = 0.053.
The abstract's language about possible benefits is weaker than a confirmed placebo-controlled effect. This was a short clinical trial in adults with autism spectrum disorder, not a study of healthy ageing or longevity. Its primary between-group social-responsiveness result was null, and the adjusted quality-of-life analyses did not reach conventional statistical significance.
Quercetin showed potential benefits in selected social quality-of-life and responsiveness measures in adults with autism spectrum disorder, pending larger trials.
The trial included 52 adults with autism spectrum disorder and lasted 60 days. The between-group Social Responsiveness Scale comparison was not significant, and the apparent physical-health difference disappeared after adjustment.
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