Micronutrient Levels in Patients With ADHD (P3.315)

Objective: To study the levels of the micronutrients zinc, vitamin B12, folate, magnesium, and vitamin D 25-OH in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Background: ADHD is a complex neurologic disorder with genetic and environmental factors contributing to its etiology and expression. Abnormal micronutrient levels, due to decreased intake or inborn metabolic dysfunction, have been suggested to play a role in the pathogenesis of ADHD. Design/Methods: Micronutrient data were collected from 71 individuals representing hyperactive (N = 12), inattentive (N = 17), and combined (N = 42) forms of ADHD. Control data were in the form of clinical reference values (mean and standard deviation) from the laboratory. Due to lack of sample sizes for the control data, one-way ANOVA for each nutrient that included the control group and the three ADHD groups could not be performed. Instead, data were first contrasted among ADHD types for each nutrient using one-way ANOVA. There were no differences for any variable, so the data were pooled among ADHD types and tested for deviation from the reference mean for each variable using one-sample t-tests. Results: Mean age (range) of the sample was 9.4 (4–19) years. Mean values for the micronutrients in children with ADHD (versus controls values) were as follows: magnesium 2.11 (2.05) mg/dL, vitamin D 25-OH 28.8 (63) ng/mL, vitamin B12 927.85 (578) pg/ml, folate 15.9 (13.6) ng/mL, zinc 77.8 (95) μg/dL. In children with ADHD, the levels of magnesium (p=0.001), folate (p Conclusions: Levels of a number of micronutrients (magnesium, folate, vitamin B12, zinc, and vitamin D 25-OH) were significantly altered in children with ADHD. The ADHD subtype did not significantly influence these abnormalities. Disclosure: Dr. Gupta has nothing to disclose. Dr. Pecor has nothing to disclose. Dr. Agarwal has nothing to disclose. Dr. Oh has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kornitzer has nothing to disclose.