The Effect of Functional Exercise Along With Online Nutritional Education on Inflammatory Biomarkers in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder During Covid-19 Pandemic: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background and Objectives Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neuro-developmental disorder which is mostly caused by deficits in social interactions. Lack of physical activity and poor nutritional habits are common problems in these patients which may be exaggerated by the Covid-19 pandemic. The study aims to assess the effect of functional training along with online nutrition education on inflammatory biomarkers in children with ASD. Subjects and Methods In this randomized controlled clinical trial, 80 children with ASD (age=9.73±1.29 years, weight=49.94±2.08 kg, height=146.08±40 cm, body mass index=24.71 ±1.48 kg/m2) were randomly divided into four groups of training, education, training+ education, and control. The interventions lasted for 8 weeks. The inflammatory biomarkers including white blood cell (WBC) count, C-reactive protein (CRP) level, neutrophil count, eosinophil count, and basophil count were assessed (using blood samples collected from antecubital vein) before and after the interventions. Results There was no significant difference between the groups before the interventions (P˃0.05). After the intervention, the results showed a significant decrease in WBC (P˂0.001), CRP (P=0.001), neutrophils (sig.=0.009), and eosinophil (P=0.003) in all groups. Basophil count decreased in all groups (P=0.01) except in the education group. Conclusion Functional training and online nutrition education are beneficial interventions for management of inflammatory biomarkers in children with ASD which can be used during the Covid-19 pandemic.