ADHD and Iron Deficiency by Anthony Kane, MD

ADHD and Iron Deficiency

by Anthony Kane, MD

About 8% of children, ages 4 years and under, are deficient in iron. Between the ages of 5 and 12, the percentage rises to 13%, and then settles back to 8% in people above the age of 15. Anemia is the best-known repercussion of iron deficiency. However, even minor deficiencies in iron may weaken the immune system, affect the thyroid, and impair general physical performance. Iron deficiency has also been implicated in a number of psychiatric and neurological conditions, including learning disabilities

and ADHD.

Iron is a co-enzyme in the anabolism of catecholamines. That means it is essential for the creation of certain neurotransmitters. It helps to regulate the activity of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which probably accounts for the

association of iron deficiency with neurological problems. It makes sense that supplementing ADHD children, who have some

level of iron deficiency, might have some effect on their ADHD. However, what makes sense in theory, does not always work in practice. Unfortunately, there have been very few studies done testing the effects of iron supplementation on ADHD.

One study, done in Israel, evaluated 14 ADHD boys for the effect of short-term iron administration on behavior. Each boy received iron daily for 30 days. Both parents and teachers assessed the behavior of the children. The parents found

significant improvement in the behavior of the children. However, the teachers noticed no improvement.

In a second study, 33 iron-deficient, but otherwise normal, children were given an iron supplement. The children became less hyperactive. This study suggests that iron deficiency may cause hyperactive behavior in some children and that hyperactive behavior is reversible when the deficiency is treated.

A third study tested the affects of iron supplementation on a group of teen-aged high school girls who were determined to be iron deficient. At the end of the 8-week study, the researchers found that girls who received iron supplementation performed better on verbal learning and memory tests than those who did not.

This is about all the evidence we have. It’s not a lot and it’s not very impressive. None of the studies were double-blind studies, which means we cannot really rely on them all that much.

If this were the only consideration, I would say you should definitely try to treat your child for iron deficiency. The reason is that hyperactive children are more likely to be iron deficient than other children. Also, there is a possibility that your child has a higher than average iron requirement. That means that he might test normal on all the iron blood tests and still be iron deficient because he requires more than the average amount of iron.

Go to Page 2

BIO:

Anthony Kane, MD is a physician and international lecturer.
Get ADD ADHD Child Behavior and Treatment Help for your ADHD child, including
child behavior advice and information on the latest
ADHD treatment. Add you insights to the ADD ADHD Blog

Some Aditional Articles you may enjoy

Tired of chemical ingredients in your cleaning products? by Kristen Voegeli

All-Natural, All-Inclusive Supplement A Huge Business Opportunity by Opal R. Gilbert

What's For Dinner? Would you believe low fat red meat. by Kim Paolino

"New Bodybuilding Study on the Benefits of 'Deadlifts'." by George Papazoglou

Good Food/Bad Food What's Left to Eat by Kathryn Martyn, M.NLP

Click a Number to go to an article index page
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39