Conditions:
Attention Deficit Disorder

Related Terms
  • Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder, Adult Attention Deficit Disorder, Hyperkinetic Syndrome, ADD, ADHD, AADD
Principal Proposed Treatments
  • · There are no well-established natural treatments for attention deficit disorder.
Other Proposed Treatments
  • DMAE (2-dimethylaminoethanol), Essential Fatty Acids (Fish Oil and Evening Primrose Oil), Calcium, Zinc, Magnesium, Iron, Inositol, Trace Minerals, Blue-Green Algae, Combined Amino Acids (GABA, Glycine, Taurine, L-Glutamine, L-Phenylalanine, L-Tyrosine), St. John's Wort, Combined Polysaccharides (Galactose, Glucose, Mannose, N-acetylneuraminic Acid, Fucose, N-acetylgalactosamine, N-acetylglucosamine, Xylose), Dietary Changes

Originally, the term attention deficit disorder (ADD) referred to children who seemed incapable of concentrating at school. Today, however, the definition has broadened to include many adults as well. Characteristics of ADD and the related condition ADHD (attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder) include difficulty sustaining attention or completing tasks, easy distractibility, impulsive behavior, and hyperactivity (excessive movement and an inability to sit still). These problems make it difficult to succeed at work or at school.

Conventional treatment focuses on stimulants such as caffeine, Dexedrine, and Ritalin. These drugs produce a paradoxically calming effect in people with ADD, for reasons we don't understand. Certain antidepressants may also be useful.

Proposed Treatments for Attention Deficit Disorder

DMAE

There is some evidence that the supplement DMAE may be helpful for ADD, according to studies performed in the 1970s. Two such studies were reported in a review article on DMAE.¹ Fifty children aged 6 to 12 years who had been diagnosed with hyperkinesia (their diagnosis today would likely be ADD) participated in a double-blind study comparing DMAE to placebo. The dose was increased from 300 mg daily to 500 mg daily by the third week, and continued for 10 weeks. Evaluations revealed statistically significant test score improvements in the treatment group compared to the placebo group.

Another double-blind study compared DMAE with both methylphenidate (Ritalin) and placebo in 74 children with "learning disabilities" (also probably what we would call ADD today).² It found significant test score improvement for both treatment groups over a 10-week period. Positive results were also seen in a small open study.³

For more information, including dosage and safety issues, see the full DMAE article.

Essential Fatty Acids

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are "good fats," substances as important to your general health as vitamins. Based on evidence that essential fatty acids are necessary for the proper development of brain function in growing children, EFAs have been tried for the treatment of ADHD and related conditions. A preliminary double-blind placebo-controlled trial found some evidence that a supplement containing fish oil and evening primrose oil might improve ADHD symptoms.⁴ However, in a double-blind placebo-controlled trial of children already using stimulant therapy, the addition of the essential fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) for 4 months failed to further improve symptoms.²¹

Evening primrose oil by itself failed to prove effective for attention deficit disorder in a double-blind placebo-controlled trial.²² In another small placebo-controlled comparative trial, evening primrose oil proved less effective than standard medical treatment.²³

Other Natural Treatments

Two authors sympathetic to natural medicine reviewed all the literature in print on a few other widely recommended options for ADD: supplementation with niacin (or vitamin B₃), vitamin B₆, and multivitamin and mineral tablets.⁵ They failed to find any evidence of a positive effect.

Other supplements that are sometimes recommended for ADD include calcium, zinc, magnesium, iron, inositol, trace minerals, blue-green algae, combinations of amino acids (usually GABA, glycine, taurine, L-glutamine, L-phenylalanine, and L-tyrosine), and combinations of the polysaccharides (galactose, glucose, mannose, N-acetylneuraminic acid, fucose, N-acetylgalactosamine, N-acetylglucosamine, and xylose). St. John's wort is also sometimes recommended. However, there is little to no evidence for any of these treatments at this time.

Whether dietary modifications (such as eliminating sugar, food additives, and food allergens) can help remains unclear and controversial.^6–20

Last reviewed March 2002 by Medical Review Board

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