Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Within 8 weeks of magnesium and Vitamin B6 supplementation, magnesium levels in ADHD children increased by 11%.
As a disease that currently affects more than two million American children, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is characterized by impulsiveness, hyperactivity and inattention (1). While there are no figures available for the total cost that ADHD adds on our healthcare system, educational costs (sending ADHD kids to special schools) are $4 billion each year while “total treatment costs” for a child with ADHD averages $1800 per year (2).
Due to the side effects of ADHD medications, which include decreased appetite, insomnia, and increased anxiety and irritability (1), more natural alternatives are constantly being sought. Now a new study (3) has found that another way to help ADHD may be to supplement magnesium and vitamin B6 into the diet.
In the 30-month study, 40 children with an average age of 6.49 years and clinical symptoms of ADHD were given vitamin B6 in the amount of 0.6 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight per day and magnesium in amount of 6.0 mg/kg/bw/d for at least 8 weeks. They then scored symptoms of ADHD (hyperactivity, hypermotivity/ aggressiveness, lack of attention at school) on a scale of 0-4 and also measured blood levels of magnesium. The 40 children with ADHD were then compared to a control group of 36 children with an average age of 4.37 years and no ADHD symptoms.
Before the study began, the level of magnesium inside the cells of ADHD children (called intra-erythrocyte magnesium) was 26% lower than the control group children (2.04 vs 2.76 millimoles/Liter). In as little as 8 weeks of supplementation, the ADHD children had magnesium levels that were only 15% lower (2.35 vs 2.76 mmol/L). What’s more, every time supplementation was stopped in the ADHD children over the course of the 30-month study, intra-erythrocyte magnesium levels dropped significantly, in some cases by as much as 29% in a group that supplemented for 2 months and then stopped for 15 months.
Regarding behavior, the researchers found increased magnesium levels in the cells from supplementation to improve ADHD symptoms. Specifically, in almost all cases of ADHD, supplementation for at least 2 months reduced hyperactivity and hypermotivity/aggressiveness reduced while improving school attention (p < 0.05).
While the researchers admit they still do not know why ADHD children have this magnesium deficiency, they believe at least 8 weeks of supplementation is required to see improvements in cell blood levels and ADHD symptoms. They went on to conclude that “As chronic magnesium deficiency was shown to be associated to hyperactivity, irritability, sleep disturbances, and poor attention at school, magnesium supplementation as well as other traditional therapeutic treatments, could be required in children with ADHD.”
Source: MONSAIN-BOSC, M., M. ROCHE, A. POLGE, D. PRADAL-PRAT, J. RAPIN, and JP BALI. “Improvement of neurobehavioral disorders in children supplemented with magnesium-vitamin B6. I. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorders.” Magnesium research 19, no. 1 (2006): 46-52.
© 2017 John Libbey Eurotext
Posted November 11, 2008.
References:
- “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder” posted on the NIH Website
- “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder” posted on the CDC Website
- Mousain-Bosc M. Improvement of neurobehavioral disorders in children pplemented with magnesium-vitamin B6. I. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorders. Magnes Res 2006 Mar;19(1):46-52.
