Assessment of the Efficacy of Quercetin in Adult Patients With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized, Triple-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

This was a randomised controlled trial — people were assigned to treatments by chance, which is the most reliable way to tell whether a treatment itself caused a change.

It involved 52 people — a modest group, enough to be interesting but not enough to settle a question on its own.

The study ran for 60 days. That is a short window, so it says nothing about whether the effects last.

The researchers concluded: "Quercetin supplementation showed potential benefits in select social quality of life and social domain responsiveness in participants with ASD. Larger, well-designed trials are needed to confirm its clinical effectiveness."

This record does not state:

• the ages of the people who took part

This is a plain-language summary of one paper's abstract, not medical advice. Talk to your child's clinician before changing anything.

Journal: Human psychopharmacology

Year: 2026

Design: Randomized Controlled Trial

Participants: 52

Intervention: quercetin

Authors: Anahid Rezaeifar, Mahtab Motamed, Niayesh Mohebbi

OBJECTIVES: This randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of quercetin in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHODS: Fifty-two adults with ASD were randomly assigned to receive either quercetin or placebo for 60 days. Outcomes included the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), WHO Quality of Life (WHOQOL) domains, and other clinical measures assessed at baseline, 30 days, and 60 days. RESULTS: Baseline demographic characteristics and comorbid conditions were comparable between groups. The quercetin group showed a significant within-group reduction in SRS scores over time (p = 0.010), whereas the placebo group showed no significant change (p = 0.655). However, between-group differences in SRS change were not statistically significant. At week 8, the physical health domain of WHOQOL improved more in the quercetin group at the unadjusted level (p = 0.044), but this was not significant after adjustment (p = 0.082). The environmental health domain showed a borderline difference favoring quercetin (adjusted p = 0.053). CONCLUSION: Quercetin supplementation showed potential benefits in select social quality of life and social domain responsiveness in participants with ASD. Larger, well-designed trials are needed to confirm its clinical effectiveness. TRIAL REGISTRATION: IRCT20241214064050N1.

Human psychopharmacology, 2026

PMID 42438230

DOI 10.1002/hup.70057

This record was extracted from the paper's PubMed abstract and metadata. Full-text methods and risk-of-bias details were not reviewed.