Zinc and ADHD

Original Publish Date: 4/9/22

 

When I became a nutritional therapist, I wanted to work with children. But I realized I needed to work with parents to help things trickle down to the children.

 

My heart is always with our children, and I will always go the extra mile to help the younger generation. Here are some free resources:

 

• Nutrient-dense eating for kids (mini-ebook)
• Sample kids’ meal plan for snacks and lunch (handout)
• Baby’s, Kids First Foods, and Pregnancy Foods (mini ebook)
• Packing school lunch ideas
• Why breastmilk is best
• Making meat a priority for kids
• Ditch the sunscreen
• Food allergies and children
• Covid vaccine and children
• Generations of school lunches
• Mental health and children (with the pandemic)
• Meat-based snacks
• Raw vs. pasteurized milk
• Feeding kids full-fat milk
• Saying no to juice
• Being grain-free
• Risk of hand sanitizers
• Immune support foods
• Is keto safe for kids? 

 

I also share a lot of my parenting books on my Amazon book page (scroll to the bottom of the book list).

 

Pro tip: if you’re an avid reader or audiobook consumer, check out your local library. You can access a lot for free.

 

Zinc and ADHD Study

Long ago, I read books on ADHD, ADD, and the role of pharmaceutical companies in pushing the diagnosis. One of the books was ADHD Nation by Alan Schwarz. It was chilling.

 

“In this powerful, necessary book, Alan Schwarz exposes the dirty secrets of the growing ADHD epidemic” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), including how the father of ADHD, Dr. Keith Conners, spent fifty years advocating drugs like Ritalin before realizing his role in what he now calls “a national disaster of dangerous proportions”; a troubled young girl and a studious teenage boy get entangled in the growing ADHD machine and take medications that backfire horribly; and big Pharma egregiously over-promotes the disorder and earns billions from the mishandling of children (and now adults).”

 

“While demonstrating that ADHD is real and can be medicated when appropriate, Schwarz sounds a long-overdue alarm and urges America to address this growing national health crisis.” (New York Magazine)

 

Ritalin was originally made to calm housewives and then recommended for children who acted up in classrooms. Maybe our children were never meant to sit for 8 hours a day. 

 

Many families use amphetamines during the day and Mountain Dew or coffee at night to calm their children. A lot of the diagnosis comes from the teachers and is then confirmed by psychiatrists. 

 

What if we worked on the diet first? 

 

Two studies show that zinc and iron may help (but not fully conclusive) with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders. The first study from 2011, “Zinc for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Placebo-Controlled Double-Blind Pilot Trial Alone and Combined with Amphetamine” demonstrated that there were some benefits to supplementing zinc. 

It’s not perfect but they also noted that there were a lot of uncontrolled variables, such as diet and preexisting conditions. 

 

The second systematic review in 2021: “The Role of Iron and Zinc in the Treatment of ADHD among Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials” showed some promises with zinc but that additional research is needed. 

 

What if we tried a meat-based diet with additional zinc supplementation? 

 

Most of the neurotransmitters will properly be fed with adequate amino acids (assuming they are properly utilized and absorbed by the body) and fatty acids (cholesterol-rich foods). You can read my microblog on the Unhappy gut = Unhappy brain. 

 

Not everything needs to be medicated, especially as the first defense. Sometimes children want to be dancers or a lover of arts. They probably aren’t meant to sit in classrooms. 

 

There are risks with amphetamines: 

 

• Does Childhood Treatment of ADHD With Stimulant Medication Affect Substance Abuse in Adulthood? (some do and some don’t)
• Is ADHD Medication Safe If You Have a History of Substance Abuse?
• The book aforementioned is the best to read 

 

It’s tricky as people struggling with ADHD struggle with anxiety and depression, and may generally have a higher susceptibility to substance abuse. This is also one of the arguments used for the relative safety of these amphetamine medications. 

There’s no easy answer but always start with the gut and nutrition. Always.

 

In health,

Judy