 Multivitamins and minerals help children's brain function: study
Source: Nutraingredients.com europe By Stephen Daniells, Date: 11/11/08
Daily supplements of multivitamins and minerals may improve the
brain function of children, says a new study from British and
Australian researchers.
Twelve weeks of supplementation with vitamins and minerals was found to
boost the attention scores of children, according to results published
in the British Journal of Nutrition.
“This represents the first observation of acute behavioural effects of vitamins/minerals in human subjects,” wrote the researchers, led by Professor David Kennedy from Northumbria University in Newcastle.
“Naturally, these observations require replication in larger
cohorts, but they do suggest that this matter should be given some
priority,” cautioned the researchers.
Study details
The Newcastle-based researchers, in collaboration with
scientists from Swinburne University in Australia, and the University
of Westminster in London, recruited 81 children (average age 11) to
participate in the randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled,
parallel groups investigation.
The children were reportedly all healthy and free from food allergy. In
addition, none of the children used other dietary supplements during
the three months prior to the study. Participants were randomly
assigned to daily multivitamin and mineral supplements or placebo for
12 weeks. The study used Pharmaton SA’s Pharmaton Kiddi blend of
multivitamins and minerals. The Swiss company also provided funding for
the study.
Cognitive performance was measured using a battery of laboratory
assessments. Measures were taken before the study, after one and three
hours after the first dose, and after 12 weeks.
Kennedy and his co-workers report that the children in the
vitamin/mineral group performed more accurately on two tests of
attention. Indeed, the researchers noted the first signs of improvement
only three hours after the first dose on the first day.
“The most surprising facet of the improvement in attention task
performance seen here is that it became evident by three hours
post-dose on the first day,” they wrote.
“To the best of our knowledge, the possibility that vitamins or
minerals could exert behavioural effects after a single dose has not
been explored,” they added.
However, no effects were observed on measures of the children’s mood, they added.
Science behind the claims?
The researchers noted that the study was aimed at testing the claims of
the manufacturer that the multivitamin and mineral could improve the
physical development and neural performance of the children.
“The combination of vitamins, minerals and amino acids present… in
the present study does not allow the results presented to be attributed
to any one component,” wrote the researchers.
“Further work in this area could examine the constituent parts of
this treatment in more detail, perhaps focusing on attentional measures
and including acute, as well as chronic, assessment,”
Source: British Journal of Nutrition
November 2008, Volume 100, Pages 1086-1096, doi:10.1017/S0007114508959213
“Cognitive and mood effects in healthy children during 12 weeks' supplementation with multi-vitamin/minerals”
Authors:
C.F. Haskell, A.B. Scholey, P.A. Jackson, J.M. Elliott, M.A. Defeyter,
J. Greer, B.C. Robertson, T. Buchanan, B. Tiplady, D.O. Kennedy
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