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Vitamins B9 and B12 in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Fatemeh Razavinia1, Atefeh Ebrahimiyan1, Shahla Faal Siahkal2

  • 1Midwifery Department, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.

International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research. Internationale Zeitschrift Fur Vitamin- Und Ernahrungsforschung. Journal International De Vitaminologie Et De Nutrition
|June 21, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have lower levels of vitamin B9 and vitamin B12. This systematic review highlights potential nutritional links to ADHD in pediatric populations.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Pediatrics
  • Nutritional Psychiatry

Background:

  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder in children.
  • B group vitamins are crucial for cellular metabolism, neurotransmitter synthesis, and nucleotide production.
  • Investigating vitamin B9 and B12 levels in children with ADHD is essential due to their metabolic roles.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically investigate and compare plasma levels of vitamin B9 and vitamin B12 in children diagnosed with ADHD versus healthy children.
  • To synthesize findings from existing case-control and cross-sectional studies through a meta-analysis.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic literature search conducted across multiple electronic databases (Web of Science, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, Iran MEDEX, Cochran, SID) up to June 2023.
  • Inclusion of full-text case-control or cross-sectional studies focusing on children aged 6-12 years with and without ADHD.
  • Meta-analysis performed using Review Manager Software (RevMan 5.4), calculating standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs); sensitivity analysis was employed to address heterogeneity.

Main Results:

  • Six studies comprising 982 children (204 girls, 744 boys) were included in the meta-analysis.
  • Significantly lower levels of vitamin B9 were observed in children with ADHD (SMD -0.80, 95% CI [-1.55, -0.04]).
  • Vitamin B12 levels were significantly lower in children with ADHD (SMD -0.29, 95% CI [-0.42, -0.16]), with heterogeneity reduced to 21% after sensitivity analysis (SMD -0.19, 95% CI [-0.34, -0.04]).

Conclusions:

  • This systematic review and meta-analysis indicates significantly lower plasma levels of vitamin B9 and vitamin B12 in children with ADHD compared to their healthy peers.
  • The findings suggest a potential association between deficiencies in these B vitamins and the pathophysiology or presentation of ADHD in children.
  • Further research into the therapeutic implications of vitamin supplementation for ADHD management is warranted.

Keywords:
attention deficit hyperactivity disorderfolatefolic acidsystematic reviewvitamin B12vitamin B9

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