How Nutrition May Play A Big Role In ADHD

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With so much attention devoted to the popular ADHD drugs targeted at this expanding customer base, it's rare to come across an ADHD study that doesn't involve any drugs at all. And even more rare is a study that dares imply that a nutritional deficiency might actually play a role in attention deficit.

Against all odds, however, I found such a study. And while its design and methods are refreshingly drug-free, the dietary conclusion requires a closer look.

ADHD: Bring on the children

The study itself is simple enough. Knowing that iron deficiency may trigger abnormal neurotransmission, researchers at the European Paediatric Hospital in Paris, evaluated the deficiency of this mineral in two groups of adolescents.

As reported in the Archives of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, blood samples from more than 50 children between the ages of 4 and 14 years - all diagnosed with ADHD - were examined to determine ferritin levels. Ferritin is a protein that stores iron. The researchers also examined blood samples from a control group of nearly 30 children  with no symptoms of ADHD.

The French team reported three striking results:

• The ADHD group had a lower average ferritin level compared to the control group.
• Almost 85 per cent of the ADHD children  had abnormal ferritin levels, compared to less than 20 per cent of the control subjects.
• The most severe ADHD symptoms were observed in children  with low ferritin levels.

In their conclusion, the researchers write that low iron stores may contribute to ADHD, and children with ADHD might benefit from iron supplementation.

ADHD: The plus and the minus

I knew that HSI Panellist Dr Allan Spreen, would find this study interesting. In a past e-Alert, Dr. Spreen wrote at some length about the ways nutrition directly affects childrens' behaviour, particularly in regard to ADHD.

After looking over the French research, Dr. Spreen told me he thought the results were dependable, and described the study as 'very helpful.' But he added: 'Then again, there's some reading between the lines that I would suggest...'

ADHD: The bigger picture

'Okay, so let's say the problem is iron...alone. Most of the solutions tend to be inorganic iron in supplement form (or, heaven forbid, by injection). First, it tends to be poorly absorbed, and second, such agents are well known to generate the formation of free radicals, molecules that damage cell membranes throughout the body. That's why our bodies insulate us from our own iron by placing it within a heme ring (haemoglobin). We need the stuff for oxygen transfer, but we also need to be protected from it. That's why I recommend organic iron, as in calves liver (good luck getting THAT down a kid), or desiccated liver tablets.

'So the problem is STILL iron. Remember that, free radicals or not, it's possible that the iron may not be absorbed well. I've had several patients who took iron (including painful injections) for laboratory-confirmed anaemia (low iron levels) and still remained anaemic! When I threw in high levels of vitamin B-12 and folic acid (higher than the silly RDA), even if they were not clinically low in these nutrients, their iron levels normalised. That's why I've learned to take a more 'shotgun' approach, even if I think I know what the actual problem is.

'Ah, but it gets better (or, maybe, worse): I don't think correcting iron alone will do it (with or without B-12, folic acid, and maybe even digestive enzymes). If food allergies are not dealt with, if sugar and refined white flour are not massively lowered, if artificial additives are not eliminated (colours, flavours, MSG, preservatives, etc.), the changes from supplements could still fail to work properly.

'I FIRMLY believe ADHD is fixable...without drugs of any kind in the VAST majority of cases.'

If you have a child, a grandchild or a friend who may have been diagnosed with ADHD, I strongly recommend Dr. Spreen's nutritional tips for addressing this problem.