Treating ADHD with supplements
Researchers from the University of Canterbury, at Christchurch, New Zealand reviewed the evidence supporting the use of nutritional and herbal supplements to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
First, the details.
- Published evidence on single ingredients (eg, minerals, vitamins, amino acids, and essential fatty acids), botanicals, and multi-ingredient formulas were reviewed.
Warning: The evidence is sparse, mixed, and lacking consistency. Links are added to summaries presented previously on this blog.
And, the results.
- The best evidence
- Zinc (2 positive studies)
- Mixed evidence
- Carnitine
- Pycnogenol
- Essential fatty acids
- More research needed
- Vitamins
- Magnesium
- Iron
- SAM-e
- Tryptophan
- Ginkgo biloba with ginseng
- No supporting evidence
- St. John’s wort
- Tyrosine
- Phenylalanine
- Multi-ingredient approaches are intriguing but under-researched.
The bottom line?
Slim pick’ns
4/7/09 19:34 JR