A new study, “Micronutrients for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Youth: A Placebo-Controlled Randomized Clinical Trial,” was recently published in the world-renowned Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. This landmark study is the third double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to independently investigate the effectiveness of a clinical-strength supplement called Daily Essential Nutrients for ADHD. Daily Essential Nutrients comes in powder and capsule form and is the world's most research-backed vitamin-mineral combination for mood and mental health.
The study, the third of its kind on this supplement, sought to evaluate whether a specialized blend of micronutrients called Daily Essential Nutrients, formulated by Hardy Nutritionals, benefits unmedicated children with ADHD and irritability.
The ADHD symptoms targeted with the micronutrient treatment included focus, oppositional defiance, disruptive mood dysregulation, and peer conflict.
The trial design ensured that participants, their parents, clinicians, and researchers did not know who received the micronutrients or a placebo. This type of study is considered the "gold standard" of research.
The results: Daily Essential Nutrients showed significant overall benefit over placebo in children with ADHD and irritability. The formulation was deemed safe and effective by the independent researchers. There were impressive behavioral and mood-related findings, plus the micronutrient group showed greater height growth than the placebo group—illustrating a powerful and statistically meaningful overall health effect of the nutritional approach. The children taking Daily Essential Nutrients showed no differences in side effects compared to the placebo, which bodes well for those who cannot tolerate pharmaceutical treatments for ADHD due to often severe side effects.
The primary outcome amongst the micronutrient group was "very much" or "much" improved after the 8-week study period.
The study found improvements in:
Participants in the micronutrient group taking Daily Essential Nutrients were three times as likely to be treatment responders (show improvement in symptoms) than those in the placebo group based on blind clinician ratings. There was also a significant difference favoring the micronutrients group measuring aggression towards peers, compared to placebo.
Researchers stated, “The micronutrient treatment was both acceptable and well-tolerated, with a 93% retention rate...This finding is consistent with previous micronutrient studies.”
This particular double-blind study comes on the heels of two previous double-blind studies also carried out on Hardy Nutritionals’ Daily Essential Nutrients, as well as many non-blinded micronutrient studies, which all showed marked improvements in study participants, including for symptoms such as anger and irritability.
All micronutrient studies conducted to date demonstrate clearly that proper nutritional supplementation directly impacts mood and mental health.
The study was funded through private donations to the Nutrition and Mental Health Research Fund managed by the Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care (FEMHC) plus a direct grant from FEMHC and from the Gratis Foundation. The authors also received support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
The study was approved by Institutional Review Boards at Oregon Health & Science University, The Ohio State University, the Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board at the University of Calgary for the University of Lethbridge; the US Food and Drug Administration, and Health Canada, and was registered prospectively with the National Clinical Trials Registry.
The researchers involved in carrying out the research are associated with Ohio State University, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Oregon Health & Sciences University, and the University of Lethbridge.
There are currently three additional double-blind studies underway, specifically on Daily Essential Nutrients for mood and anxiety.
You can purchase Daily Essential Nutrients here.
Source: Johnstone JM, Hatsu I, Tost G, Srikanth P, Eiterman LP, Bruton A, Ast HK, Robinette LM, Stern MM, Millington EG, Gracious B, Hughes AJ, Leung BM, Arnold LE, Micronutrients for Attention-Deficit/