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Medline Articles in the treatment of Disease
Trace Elements Arguments In ADDHD
Attention
deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children: rationale for its integrative
management.
Kidd PM.
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common behavioral
disorder in children. ADHD is characterized by attention deficit, impulsivity,
and sometimes overactivity ("hyperactivity"). The diagnosis is
empirical, with no objective confirmation available to date from laboratory
measures. ADHD begins in childhood and often persists into adulthood. The exact
etiology is unknown; genetics plays a role, but major etiologic contributors
also include adverse responses to food additives, intolerances to foods,
sensitivities to environmental chemicals, molds, and fungi, and exposures to
neurodevelopmental toxins such as heavy metals and organohalide pollutants.
Thyroid hypofunction may be a common denominator linking toxic insults with ADHD
symptomatologies. Abnormalities in the frontostriatal brain circuitry and
possible hypofunctioning of dopaminergic pathways are apparent in ADHD, and are
consistent with the benefits obtained in some instances by the use of
methylphenidate (Ritalin) and other potent psychostimulants. Mounting
controversy over the widespread use of methylphenidate and possible
life-threatening effects from its long-term use make it imperative that
alternative modalities be implemented for ADHD management. Nutrient deficiencies
are common in ADHD; supplementation with minerals, the B vitamins (added in
singly), omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids, flavonoids, and the
essential phospholipid phosphatidylserine (PS) can ameliorate ADHD symptoms.
When individually managed with supplementation, dietary modification,
detoxification, correction of intestinal dysbiosis, and other features of a
wholistic/integrative program of management, the ADHD subject can lead a normal
and productive life.
Publication Types:
· Review
· Review, tutorial
PMID: 11056411 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Dietary
boron, brain function, and cognitive performance.
Penland JG.
United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Grand
Forks, North Dakota 58202-9034.
Although the trace element boron has yet to be recognized as an essential
nutrient for humans, recent data from animal and human studies suggest that
boron may be important for mineral metabolism and membrane function. To
investigate further the functional role of boron, brain electrophysiology and
cognitive performance were assessed in response to dietary manipulation of boron
(approximately 0.25 versus approximately 3.25-mg boron/2000 kcal/day) in three
studies with healthy older men and women. Within-subject designs were used to
assess functional responses in all studies. Spectral analysis of
electroencephalograph data showed effects of dietary boron in two of the three
studies. When the low boron intake was compared to the high intake, there was a
significant (p < 0.05) increase in the proportion of low-frequency activity,
and a decrease in the proportion of higher-frequency activity, an effect often
observed in response to general malnutrition and heavy metal toxicity.
Performance (e.g., response time) on various cognitive and psychomotor tasks
also showed an effect of dietary boron. When contrasted with the high boron
intake, low dietary boron resulted in significantly poorer performance (p <
0.05) on tasks emphasizing manual dexterity (studies II and III); eye-hand
coordination (study II); attention (all studies); perception (study III);
encoding and short-term memory (all studies); and long-term memory (study I).
Collectively, the data from these three studies indicate that boron may play a
role in human brain function and cognitive performance, and provide additional
evidence that boron is an essential nutrient for humans.
Publication Types:
· Clinical trial
· Randomized controlled trial
PMID: 7889884 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Magnesium
taurate and fish oil for prevention of migraine.
McCarty MF.
Nutrition 21, San Diego, CA 92109, USA.
Although the pathogenesis of migraine is still poorly understood, various
clinical investigations, as well as consideration of the characteristic
activities of the wide range of drugs known to reduce migraine incidence,
suggest that such phenomena as neuronal hyperexcitation, cortical spreading
depression, vasospasm, platelet activation and sympathetic hyperactivity often
play a part in this syndrome. Increased tissue levels of taurine, as well as
increased extracellular magnesium, could be expected to dampen neuronal
hyperexcitation, counteract vasospasm, increase tolerance to focal hypoxia and
stabilize platelets; taurine may also lessen sympathetic outflow. Thus it is
reasonable to speculate that supplemental magnesium taurate will have preventive
value in the treatment of migraine. Fish oil, owing to its platelet-stabilizing
and antivasospastic actions, may also be useful in this regard, as suggested by
a few clinical reports. Although many drugs have value for migraine prophylaxis,
the two nutritional measures suggested here may have particular merit owing to
the versatility of their actions, their safety and lack of side-effects and
their long-term favorable impact on vascular health.
Publication Types:
· Review
· Review, tutorial
PMID: 8961243 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Serum
and salivary magnesium levels in migraine. Results in a group of juvenile
patients.
Gallai V, Sarchielli P, Coata G, Firenze
C, Morucci P, Abbritti G.
Interuniversity Center for Study of Headache and Neurotransmitter Disorders,
Perugia, Roma, Sassari, Italy.
In the last few years a fundamental role for magnesium in establishing the
threshold for migraine attacks and involvement in the pathophysiologic
mechanisms related to its onset has become evident. We measured serum and
salivary magnesium levels in juvenile migraine patients (with and without aura)
and in a group of healthy young individuals by atomic absorption
spectrophotometry. Migraineurs were studied in migraine-free (interictal)
periods and during attacks. In comparison with normal subjects, migraine
patients had lower levels of serum and salivary magnesium interictally. Serum
magnesium levels tended to be further reduced during attacks. With respect to
the values of interictal periods we observed a reduction, not statistically
significant, of salivary magnesium levels for both migraine groups. Serum, and
to a lesser extent salivary magnesium level reduction, could be an expression,
at the peripheral level, of reduced cerebral magnesium levels which would
contribute, at least in part, to defining the threshold for migraine attacks.
PMID: 1563944 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Minerals
and blood pressure.
Karppanen H.
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Helsinki, Finland.
The mineral elements sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium play a central
role in the normal regulation of blood pressure. In particular, these mineral
elements have important interrelationships in the control of arterial
resistance. These elements, especially sodium and potassium, also regulate the
fluid balance of the body and, hence, influence the cardiac output. Evidence
shows that the present levels of intake of mineral elements are not optimum for
maintaining normal blood pressure but predispose to the development of arterial
hypertension. Research results suggest that without sodium chloride (common
salt) and other sodium compounds being added to the diet arterial hypertension
would be virtually non existent. Moreover, blood pressure would not rise with
age. In communities with a high consumption of added sodium, a high intake of
potassium and, possibly, magnesium seem to protect against the development of
arterial hypertension and the rise of blood pressure with age. A marked
reduction of sodium intake is effective in treating even severe hypertension. A
moderate restriction of sodium intake or an increase in potassium intake exert
remarkable antihypertensive effects, at least in some hypertensive patients.
Magnesium and possibly also calcium supplements may be effective in reducing
blood pressure in some hypertensives. In hypertensive patients treated with
drugs sodium restriction and potassium and magnesium supplementation enhance the
therapeutic effect, reduce the number and dosage, and lessen the adverse effects
of prescribed antihypertensive drugs. Hence, a fall in sodium consumption and
increases in potassium and magnesium consumption are useful in preventing and
treating arterial hypertension.
Publication Types:
· Review
· Review, academic
PMID: 1930921 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
[Migraine
and prevention of migraine: the value of magnesium].
[Article in German]
Schuck P, Bohmer K, Resch KL.
Forschungsinstitut fur Balneologie und Kurortwissenschaft (FBK) Bad Elster,
Deutschland. peter.schuck@mail.iz-plauen.de
Migraine (with and without aura) is characterised by a marked heterogeneity of
clinical symptoms. A variety of pathophysiological models has been proposed and
a multitude of prophylactic strategies recommended. It appears that prophylaxis
is still problematic, despite considerable progress in acute treatment. Most
substances used for the former purpose either have substantial side effects or a
wide range of contraindications. Magnesium (Mg) seems to play a significant role
in the pathogenesis of migraine. A few clinical trials have produced preliminary
evidence of therapeutic efficacy. There is a reasonable amount of empirical
evidence, and further research is warranted considering its low cost and
favourable side effects profile. An attempt at prophylaxis in mild to mid-severe
migraine with a daily dose of 600 mg (about 50 mEq) Mg seems to be justified.
Publication Types:
· Review
· Review, tutorial
PMID: 10065508 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
|
Lancet 1994 Aug 6;344(8919):357-62 |
Rational
dosages of nutrients have a prolonged effect on learning disabilities.
Carlton RM, Ente G, Blum L, Heyman N,
Davis W, Ambrosino S.
Stonybrook University, Medical School, NY, USA.
CONTEXT: Reports that administration of nutrients has increased the academic
performance of learning-disabled children exist in the literature. OBJECTIVE: To
document the effects of nutrients on learning-disabled children in a controlled
study. DESIGN: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial,
which followed 1 year of open-label nutrients. Children who improved in the
open-label trial were eligible to enter the controlled phase of the study.
SETTING: Subjects were enrolled from the general community through
advertisements. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Twenty children met the criteria
for being learning disabled. INTERVENTION: Each child was tried out on some (but
not necessarily all) of the B vitamins and minerals used in this study. These
were administered semi-blinded for the first year; double-blinded in crossover
rotations during the second year; and open-label in the ensuing years. MAIN
OUTCOME MEASURES: At various time points, school-certified psychologists
administered psychoeducational tests. School report cards were evaluated at
baseline and for all subsequent periods. RESULTS: Twenty learning-disabled
children entered the study, but 1 dropped out because of nausea. The remaining
19 children showed significant academic and behavioral improvements within a few
weeks or months of open-label treatment with nutrient supplements. Some children
gained 3 to 5 years in reading comprehension within the first year of treatment;
and all children in special education classes became mainstreamed, and their
grades rose significantly. Twelve of the children completed the 1-year
double-blind phase, after which approximately half of the children chose to
remain on the nutrients for at least 2 additional years. For those who
discontinued, it took at least 1 year to begin to see the first indications of
decline in academic performance, and another year for their grades to drop
significantly. In contrast, for children who remained on nutrients, the gains
continued the upward trend; at the end of year 4, the difference in scores
between the 2 groups had reached statistical significance (P < .01).
CONCLUSION: The overall results of this study tentatively support the concept
that learning disabilities may in some cases be a nutrient-responsive disorder.
Publication Types:
· Clinical trial
· Randomized controlled trial
PMID: 10802909 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
|
: J Altern Complement Med 2000 Feb;6(1):7-17 |
Comment in:
The
effect of vitamin-mineral supplementation on juvenile delinquency among American
schoolchildren: a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial.
Schoenthaler SJ, Bier ID.
Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, California State University,
Stanislaus, Turlock 95380, USA. stephens@volcano.net
CONTEXT: Numerous studies conducted in juvenile correctional institutions have
reported that violence and serious antisocial behavior have been cut almost in
half after implementing nutrient-dense diets that are consistent with the World
Health Organization's guidelines for fats, sugar, starches, and protein ratios.
Two controlled trials tested whether the cause of the behavioral improvements
was psychological or biological in nature by comparing the behavior of offenders
who either received placebos or vitamin-mineral supplements designed to provide
the micronutrient equivalent of a well-balanced diet. These randomized trials
reported that institutionalized offenders, aged 13 to 17 years or 18 to 26
years, when given active tablets produced about 40% less violent and other
antisocial behavior than the placebo controls. However, generalization could not
be made to typical schoolchildren without a controlled trial examining violence
and antisocial behavior in public schools. OBJECTIVES: To determine if
schoolchildren, aged 6 to 12 years, who are given low dose vitamin-mineral
tablets will produce significantly less violence and antisocial behavior in
school than classmates who are given placebos. DESIGN: A stratified randomized,
double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with pretest and post-test measures of
antisocial behavior on school property. SETTINGS AND SUBJECTS: Two "working
class," primarily Hispanic elementary schools in Phoenix, Arizona.
Approximately half of the potential schoolchildren participated, i.e., 468
students aged 6 to 12 years. INTERVENTION: Daily vitamin-mineral supplementation
at 50% of the U.S. recommended daily allowance (RDA) for 4 months versus
placebo. The supplement was designed to raise vitamin-mineral intake up to the
levels currently recommended by the National Academy of Sciences for children
aged 6 to 11 years. OUTCOME MEASURE: Violent and nonviolent delinquency as
measured by official school disciplinary records. RESULTS: Of the 468 students
randomly assigned to active or placebo tablets, the 80 who were disciplined at
least once between September 1st and May 1st served as the research sample.
During intervention, the 40 children who received active tablets were
disciplined, on average, 1 time each, a 47% lower mean rate of antisocial
behavior than the 1.875 times each for the 40 children who received placebos
(95% confidence interval, 29% to 65%, < 5 .020). The children who took active
tablets produced lower rates of antisocial behavior in 8 types of recorded
infractions: threats/fighting, vandalism, being disrespectful, disorderly
conduct, defiance, obscenities, refusal to work or serve, endangering others,
and nonspecified offenses. CONCLUSION: Poor nutritional habits in children that
lead to low concentrations of water-soluble vitamins in blood, impair brain
function and subsequently cause violence and other serious antisocial behavior.
Correction of nutrient intake, either through a well-balanced diet or low-dose
vitamin-mineral supplementation, corrects the low concentrations of vitamins in
blood, improves brain function and subsequently lowers institutional violence
and antisocial behavior by almost half. This paper adds to the literature by
enabling previous research to be generalized from older incarcerated subjects
with a history of antisocial behavior to a normal population of younger children
in an educational setting.
Publication Types:
· Clinical trial
· Randomized
controlled trial
PMID: 10706231 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Serum
selenium and the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.
Virtamo J, Valkeila E, Alfthan G, Punsar
S, Huttunen JK, Karvonen MJ.
The association between serum selenium concentration and five-year risk of
cardiovascular disease was studied in 1,110 men aged 55 to 74 years in two rural
areas of Finland. In the total cohort, all-cause and cardiovascular deaths were
associated significantly with serum selenium of less than 45 micrograms/liter,
an adjusted relative risk of 1.4 (95% confidence interval (Cl), 1.0-2.0, p less
than 0.05) and 1.6 (95% Cl, 1.1-2.3, p less than 0.05), respectively. Among men
free of coronary heart disease at the outset, these associations were of similar
magnitude but did not attain statistical significance. Among men free of stroke
at the outset, low serum selenium was associated significantly with stroke
mortality, an adjusted relative risk of 3.7 (95% Cl, 1.0-13.1). The associations
of coronary deaths and myocardial infarctions with low serum selenium were
nonsignificant.
PMID: 4014210 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Organic
Germanium (Ge-Oxy 132) has also been found to be an impressive immuno-stimulant.
In controlled studies, Organic Germanium (Ge-Oxy 132) has demonstrated marked
anti-tumor effects and interferon-inducing activity, and has restored immune
function in immune-depressed animals (12,21,27,28). These immunostimulant
effects were achieved with oral dosages and no harmful side effects were noted.
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J Altern Complement Med. 2000 Feb;6(1):31-5
The effect of vitamin-mineral supplementation on juvenile
delinquency among American schoolchildren: a randomized, double blind
placebo-controlled trial.
Schoenthaler SJ, Bier ID.
Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, California State University,
Stanislaus, Turlock 95380, USA.
CONTEXT: Numerous studies conducted in juvenile correctional institutions have
reported that violence and serious antisocial behavior have been cut almost in
half after implementing nutrient-dense diets that are consistent with the World
Health Organization's guidelines for fats, sugar, starches, and protein ratios.
Two controlled trials tested whether the cause of the behavioral improvements
was psychological or biological in nature by comparing the behavior of offenders
who either received placebos or vitamin-mineral supplements designed to provide
the micronutrient equivalent of a well-balanced diet. These randomized trials
reported that institutionalized offenders, aged 13 to 17 years or 18 to 26
years, when given active tablets produced about 40% less violent and other
antisocial behavior than the placebo controls. However, generalization could not
be made to typical schoolchildren without a controlled trial examining violence
and antisocial behavior in public schools.
OBJECTIVES:
To determine if schoolchildren, aged 6 to 12 years, who are given low dose
vitamin-mineral tablets will produce significantly less violence and antisocial
behavior in school than classmates who are given placebos. DESIGN: A stratified
randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial with pretest and post-test
measures of antisocial behavior on school property. SETTINGS AND SUBJECTS: Two
"working class," primarily Hispanic elementary schools in Phoenix,
Arizona. Approximately half of the potential schoolchildren participated, i.e.,
468 students aged 6 to 12 years. INTERVENTION: Daily vitamin-mineral
supplementation at 50% of the U.S. recommended daily allowance (RDA) for 4
months versus placebo. The supplement was designed to raise vitamin-mineral
intake up to the levels currently recommended by the National Academy of
Sciences for children aged 6 to 11 years. OUTCOME MEASURE: Violent and
nonviolent delinquency as measured by official school disciplinary records.
RESULTS: Of the 468 students randomly assigned to active or placebo tablets, the
80 who were disciplined at least once between September 1st and May 1st served
as the research sample. During intervention, the 40 children who received active
tablets were disciplined, on average, 1 time each, a 47% lower mean rate of
antisocial behavior than the 1.875 times each for the 40 children who received
placebos (95% confidence interval, 29% to 65%, < 5 .020). The children who
took active tablets produced lower rates of antisocial behavior in 8 types of
recorded infractions: threats/fighting, vandalism, being disrespectful,
disorderly conduct, defiance, obscenities, refusal to work or serve, endangering
others, and nonspecific offenses. CONCLUSION: Poor nutritional habits in
children that lead to low concentrations of water-soluble vitamins in blood,
impair brain function and subsequently cause violence and other serious
antisocial behavior. Correction of nutrient intake, through a well-balanced diet
or low-dose vitamin-mineral supplementation, corrects the low concentrations of
vitamins in blood, improves brain function and subsequently lowers institutional
violence and antisocial behavior by almost half. This paper adds to the
literature by enabling previous research to be generalized from older
incarcerated subjects with a history of antisocial behavior to a normal
population of younger children in an educational setting.
Publication Types:
· Clinical trial
Serum
and salivary magnesium levels in migraine. Results in a group of juvenile
patients.
Gallai V, Sarchielli P, Coata G, Firenze
C, Morucci P, Abbritti G.
Interuniversity Center for Study of Headache and Neurotransmitter Disorders,
Perugia, Roma, Sassari, Italy.
In the last few years a fundamental role for magnesium in establishing the
threshold for migraine attacks and involvement in the pathophysiologic
mechanisms related to its onset has become evident. We measured serum and
salivary magnesium levels in juvenile migraine patients (with and without aura)
and in a group of healthy young individuals by atomic absorption
spectrophotometry. Migraineurs were studied in migraine-free (interictal)
periods and during attacks. In comparison with normal subjects, migraine
patients had lower levels of serum and salivary magnesium interictally. Serum
magnesium levels tended to be further reduced during attacks. With respect to
the values of interictal periods we observed a reduction, not statistically
significant, of salivary magnesium levels for both migraine groups. Serum, and
to a lesser extent salivary magnesium level reduction, could be an expression,
at the peripheral level, of reduced cerebral magnesium levels which would
contribute, at least in part, to defining the threshold for migraine attacks.
PMID: 1563944 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
