To help you stay abreast of research findings about widely used complementary and alternative approaches to the treatment of ADHD, you'll find results from several pivotal studies summarized here.
What the Evidence Suggests
To help you stay abreast of research findings about widely used complementary and alternative approaches to the treatment of ADHD, you'll find results from several pivotal studies summarized here.
Dietary Changes
• 75% improved with restricted diet, however symptoms recur when food colorings and additives reintroduced
• Improved behavior and attention scores
Rowe KS, Rowe KJ. Synthetic food coloring and behavior: a dose response effect in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, repeated measures study. J Pediatr. 1994;125(5, pt 1):691-198.
Dengate S, Ruben A. Controlled trial of cumulative behavioral effects of a common bread preservative. J Paediatr Child Health. 2002;38:373-376.
See: Integrative Management of ADHD
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Herbal Preparations
• No improvement in ADHD symptoms
• Significant improvements in hyperactivity, inattention, and visual-motor coordination
• No improvements over placebo in short-term memory, working memory, executive procession, etc
Nathan PJ, Tanner S, Lloyd J, et al. Effects of a combined extract of Gingko biloba and Bacopa monnieri on cognitive function in healthy humans. Hum Psychopharmacol. 2004;19:91-96.
Yorbik O, Ozdag MF, Olgun A, et al. Potential effects of zinc on information procession in boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2008;32:6620667.
See: Integrative Management of ADHD
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Essential Fatty Acids
• Short-term memory improved in control group but not docosahexaenoic acid group
• No differences in parent or teacher ratings of behavior or cognition; significant improvements in behavior and inattention correlated with reduced arachidonic acid to essential fatty acids ratio and global severity of illness scores
• No serious adverse effects reported
Hamazaki T, Hirayama S. The effect of docosahexaenoic acid-containing food administration on symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a placebo-controlled double-blind study. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2004;58:838.
See:Integrative Management of ADHD
Is ADHD associated with shorter-than-expected height?
October 10th 2023To assess the role of familial factors, investigators analyzed data for a family-based group created from another Swedish national register that included 833,172 individuals without ADHD with different levels of relatedness to the individuals with ADHD and a group of matched controls.
SDX/d-MPH safe and effective against pediatric ADHD
March 15th 2023In a recent study, positive safety and efficacy outcomes for serdexmethylphenidate/dexmethylphenidate (SDX/d-MPH; Azstarys; KemPharm) were found in children aged 6 years and older with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
ADHD medications do not significantly increase cardiovascular disease risk
January 16th 2023A recent study found that the risk of cardiovascular diseases was not significantly greater in patients taking medications for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but investigators were not able to rule out a mild risk increase.
Prenatal benzodiazepine exposure not directly associated with ASD and ADHD
January 11th 2023A recent study found that while children exposed to benzodiazepine during pregnancy had a greater risk of developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), siblings without exposure saw similar risks of neurodevelopmental disorders.