Kids on micronutrients

[FulmerFamily]

Hi I’ve seen a few posts in the past about micronutrients. Can anyone expand on what it is, how it works and is it safe for young kids? I have a 5 year old with severe ADHD. Thank you!

[Aspen797]

Some families have found that taking broad spectrum micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) has helped improve ADHD symptoms—especially emotional regulation and impulsivity. A recent research article on this is here: sciencedaily.com/releases/2.... The current thinking seems to be that some children with ADHD manifest symptoms because they are genetically unable to process certain nutrients as effectively as others. They require more usable forms of these vitamins/minerals—forms that in most people are actually created by the body breaking down the base vitamin in food effectively. Vitamins and minerals are the building blocks for neurotransmitters and help determine our microbiome/ gut-brain axis. The thinking is that correcting deficiencies helps improve behavior.

All that being said, vitamins and supplements are largely unregulated in the US. Different supplements can have wildly different amounts of nutrients than what is on the label. Some are third party verified, some are not. A child’s needs are individual too and too much of a supplement can hurt a child just as too much of a medication can. It’s best to find a physician who is knowledgeable — a wholistic psychiatrist perhaps—for guidance. Our family uses both medications and supplements.

[Peerandparent]

There was a lot of research done into high-dose multivitamins, but results have been somewhat disappointing. The research papers I've read on the subject haven't had consistent results that could be replicated, and often had a tiny sample size.

My personal thoughts having read much of the research is that there might be some benefit for some, but often this is because they were measurably deficient in some aspect of their diet. The problem is that most research papers don't explain what vitamins or minerals they used in the trials or their dosage, so I couldn't even figure out what link they were theorizing between micronutrients and ADHD.

Having spoken to a few physician colleagues (including a psychiatrist who specializes in ADHD) and the consensus is that it's unlikely to have a noticeable effect. That being said, they also said that as long as you don't go overboard, there's extremely little risk to trying it, especially if pharmaceutical options are limited.

We tried our son on a multivitamin, and he still has a pediasure per day (mainly because he's having trouble getting enough calories into him) and we haven't seen an impact. A low dose stimulant, on the other hand, made a world of difference for him.

[MomofOne13]

My son is 11 and has been on Hardy Nutritionals Daily Essential Nutrients for a little over a year. I believe it helps a bit with regulating his mood, and as he's not otherwise medicated, I'll take the help! I do find, when we missed doses, he's just not as calm in general. If you go on the website you can see the recent studies, and the consultants are very helpful. I believe they even have a powder now, as the capsules are pretty large (although my son is now an expert at swallowing pills, since we've been doing this). I haven't seen any negative side effects at all.