Does zinc moderate essential fatty acid and amphetamine treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder?
Author(s): Arnold LE, Pinkham SM, Votolato N Affiliation(s): Department of Psychiatry, Ohio State University, Columbus, USA. Arnold.6@osu.edu Publication date & source: 2000-06, J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol., 10(2):111-7. Publication type: Clinical Trial; Randomized Controlled Trial Zinc is an important co-factor for metabolism relevant to neurotransmitters, fatty acids, prostaglandins, and melatonin, and indirectly affects dopamine metabolism, believed intimately involved in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). To explore the relationship of zinc nutrition to essential fatty acid supplement and stimulant effects in treatment of ADHD, we re-analyzed data from an 18-subject double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover treatment comparison of d-amphetamine and Efamol (evening primrose oil, rich in gamma-linolenic acid). Subjects were categorized as zinc-adequate (n = 5), borderline zinc (n = 5), and zinc-deficient (n = 8) by hair, red cell, and urine zinc levels; for each ca
