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Brain-Boosting Supplements
“Many diets are deficient in key vitamins and minerals that may improve attention and alertness,” says Brown. Supplements can often fill in the dietary gaps.
3. MULTIVITAMIN/MULTIMINERAL
If your child is a picky eater or eats lots of take-out food, he won’t get the daily recommended value of vitamins and minerals. A daily multivitamin/multimineral will ensure that he does, no matter how finicky he is.
>> To purchase: Hero's Yummi Bears Multi-Vitamin & Mineral are free of artificial colors and flavors, which increase hyperactivity in some children with ADD.
4. B VITAMINS
Studies suggest that giving children who have low levels of B vitamins a supplement improved IQ scores (by 16 points) and reduced aggression and antisocial behavior. “Vitamin B-6 seems to increase the brain’s levels of dopamine, which improves alertness,” says Brown.
>> To purchase: Drugstore chains offer inexpensive high-quality, store-brand B-vitamin formulations. Many of the studies on vitamin B and ADD used a Swiss formulation called Bio-Strath (available at vitacost.com. It comes in pill and liquid forms.
5. ZINC, IRON, and MAGNESIUM
Zinc synthesizes dopamine and augments the effects of methylphenidate. Low levels of this mineral correlate with inattention.
Iron is also necessary for making dopamine. In one small study, ferritin levels (a measure of iron stores) were low in 84 percent of ADHD children compared to 18 percent of the control group. Low iron levels correlate with cognitive deficits and severe ADHD.
“Adequate levels of magnesium have a calming effect on the brain,” says Brown. While diet is the safest way to increase mineral levels, a multivitamin/multimineral with iron will ensure that you or your child will get the daily reference value (DRV) of all three.
Next: More Supplements You Might Not Be Getting
A version of this article appears in the Summer 2009 issue of ADDitude.
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