Micronutrients help children with ADHD, new research shows

NEWS

At the age of 9, Isaiah Godfrey was unable to tie his shoe laces and brush his teeth. He had been expelled from six preschools and several schools because of his severe attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Now 13, he can jump off 10 steps on his skateboard and has caught up on six years of schooling. His mother, Erica Godfrey, credits micronutrients for his “amazing progress“.

COMMENT

Research clearly shows that supplementary micronutrients can improve antisocial behavior. A UK study published in 2002 is one of the landmark examples of this, finding impressive evidence of a link between dietary intake and violent behavior in a well-designed trial that gave nutritional supplements to prisoners. During the study the subjects who received the micronutrients committed 37% fewer violent offences and 26% fewer offences overall, whereas the rates of disciplinary incidents remained substantially unchanged for those receiving placebos. A double blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial, it attracted an extremely favorable response from the academic community for the high standard of its methodology.

Similarly, a study conducted in the United States found that school children given a daily supplement containing a mere 50 per cent of the RDA for a period of 4 months had lower rates of threats and fighting, vandalism, being disrespectful, disorderly conduct, defiance, obscenities, refusal to work or serve, endangering others, and other offences.

With numerous other studies conducted in juvenile correctional institutions having made similar findings, there seems little doubt that scientific and medical interest in this particular area of research will continue to grow.