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A double-blind, placebo-controlled study, published in European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (Volume 15, Number 6 / September, 2006), looked at the effect supplementation with Pycnogenol had on children (mean age 9.5 years) with ADHD. The 57 subjects were evaluated by standard questionnaires at the start of the study, at the end of the four-week intervention and one month after the study. The questionnaires used were Conner's Teacher Rating Scale, Child Attention Problems teacher rating scale, and a modified Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. The children were randomly assigned to receive either a placebo or pycnogenol extract for four weeks. At the end of the four week trial, scores evaluating inattention and hyperactivity improved in the supplemented group, but not in the placebo group. When evaluated one month after discontinuing the supplement, the test improvements were negated. Pycnogenol is a powerful antioxidant; perhaps it act to protect cells in the nervous system.
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There have been a number of studies that show nutrition, avoidance of food additives, essential fatty acids and vitamin supplementation can all be of value for children with ADD or ADHD. A study appearing in Magnesium Research (2006; 19(1): 46-52) looked at children with ADHD and their response to supplementation with magnesium and vitamin B6. Forty children with ADHD and 36 other children, who acted as controls, participated in the study. The children were given magnesium (six mg. for every kg. of body weight per day) and vitamin B6 (60 mcg. for every kg. of body weight per day) for at least eight weeks. They were evaluated at the beginning of the study, during the study and at the end of the study. It was found that the supplementation improved the symptoms of ADHD.
Magnesium levels were assessed by measuring the amount of magnesium in the red blood cells. Children with ADHD tended to have lower magnesium levels in the red blood cells. The magnesium levels increased after supplementation. |
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Various nutritional approaches may help ADHD. Nutrition remains controversial because scientific studies, by their very nature, look at a single constituent. The paradigm in medicine is to try to find a “cure”, one thing that fixes the symptom. There is an inherent flaw in this way of thinking because it assumes that any health problem has one cause. If the problem, as some research suggests, is due to a lack of serotonin, then many factors can come into play. You need protein and the amino acid tryptophan to make serotonin. You also need folic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin C and other nutrients to make serotonin. Exercise helps us to produce serotonin. Essential fatty acids are necessary for the integrity of the nerve cell membranes. Many factors are involved. If someone with ADHD is not producing enough serotonin due to a lack of tryptophan, giving them folic acid in a study may not produce results. If the person is folic acid deficient, then giving B6 may not help and so on.
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A study published in the Journal of Learning Disabilites (May, 1982;15(5):258-264) looked at B vitamin supplementation and hyperactivity. The subjects of the study were 100 children who were either hyperactive or had cerebral dysfunction. The were given 100 mg of thiamin qid, calcium pantothenate (source of B5) twice daily, 50 mg of b6 twice daily or a placebo for three days. If the subjects responded to the vitamin therapy, they were given the supplements a second time, this time for a week, then alternating between supplementation and placebo. Those who did not respond well to the initial vitamin therapy were given large doses of B complex, niacinamide or elimination diets.
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TheJournal of the American Medical Association (Vol. 274 No. 20, November 22, 1995) Published a meta analysis of studies linking hyperactivity to sugar and came to the conclusion that sugar does not affect behavior or cognitive abilities in children. But the studies are flawed, because the researchers are looking at a single dose of sugar and the immediate effect on the children. Something needs to be said here about medical research. Drugs for ADD and ADHD make the parmaceutical industry about $3 Billion each year. These companies buy advertising in medical journals. The journals have an economic interest in keeping their advertisers happy. Seriously looking at the connection between diet and ADD would not be in the best economic interest of these pharmaceutical companies—or the journals. There is a complex relationship between diet and how the nervous system works—one that needs to be examined more thoroughly than these flawed studies.
If you want to get a better sense of the connection between diet and behavior, follow this link APPLETON SCHOOLS to learn about a program in the Appleton, Wisconsin schools. You can see the amazing results that diet has on behavior and learning. The connection between diet, and learning and behavior needs to be more closely examined. Children who eat a lot of sugar are vitamin deficient—especially in B vitamins and in minerals. A large percentage of their food is starch, which is turned to sugar by the body. Lots of parents think that bagels, English muffins, and sugar-free cereals are healthy. What they need to realize is that starch and sugar are essentially the same thing. Starch and sugar deplete B vitamins, vitamin C and minerals. Sugar also stresses the adrenal glands. Some holistic practitioners think that Ritalin mimics the output of the adrenal gland and if you give up sugar and support the adrenals, you will get a better result.
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