Print
Slide 5
of 6
Vitamins and ADD/ADHD Brain Power
Studies indicate that children in grade school whose diets are supplemented with vitamins and minerals, to insure the standard recommended dietary allowances, scored higher on intelligence tests than those who took no supplements. Here are some specific vitamins and minerals that affect behavior and learning in children and adults:
Vitamin C is required by the brain to make neurotransmitters. In fact, the brain has a special vitamin c “pump,” which draws extra vitamin c out of the blood into the brain.
Vitamin B6 deficiency causes irritability and fatigue. Adequate levels of the vitamin increase the brain’s levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine, increasing alertness.
Iron is also necessary for making dopamine. One small study showed ferritin levels (a measure of iron stores) to be low in 84 percent of ADD/ADHD children, compared to 18 percent of a control group. Low iron levels correlate with severe ADD/ADHD.
Zinc regulates the neurotransmitter dopamine, and may make methylphenidate more effective by improving the brain’s response to dopamine. Low levels of this mineral correlate with inattention.
More of these nutrients is not necessarily better. Studies using megavitamin therapy in children with ADD/ADHD showed no effect.
Slide 5
of 6
