ADHD Patients' Copper Overindulgence and Zinc Deficiency

What if there was a simple, low-cost, safe, and effective technique to help treat one of the most prevalent pediatric neurodevelopmental disorders? Health care providers typically ignore nutritional needs, despite the fact that several mineral imbalances are commonly linked to medical conditions, including ADHD. Thankfully, treating ADHD symptoms with an integrative treatment plan that replenishes nutrients has shown to be successful. We will assess zinc and magnesium deficiency, excess copper, and their correlation with neuropsychiatric symptoms in this two-part series.

Minerals Are Needed for Good Health

Minerals are inorganic compounds that are necessary for neurotransmitter synthesis, cell growth, development, and metabolism. While trace elements like copper and zinc are also essential for numerous body processes, major minerals like magnesium require greater dietary intakes. Because minerals cannot be synthesized by our bodies, they must be consumed through diet or supplements. Mineral deficits are frequently observed in individuals with mental illnesses. Our soil has sadly lost minerals as a result of fertilizers and erosion from current farming methods. Moreover, food that has been treated loses vital nutrients. Stress and perspiration from physical activity, such as hot yoga, also deplete the body of minerals.

Lead Is A Toxic Mineral

The Flint River replaced Lake Huron as the city of Flint, Michigan's primary water source in April 2014. Up to 12,000 children may have been exposed to hazardous levels of lead in their water due to the corrosive water from the Flint River causing lead from ancient pipes to leak into the water system. President Obama declared a state of emergency in January 2016 after 5% of Flint youngsters tested positive for increased blood lead levels one year after the water source transition.

Since the United States began to phase out the use of leaded paint and gas in the 1970s, children's blood lead levels have generally decreased. Nevertheless, elevated amounts of lead-contaminated dust and deteriorating lead paint can be found in 24 million US houses. Not all parts of the US have seen a consistent drop in the blood lead levels of youngsters. According to recent research by Reuters, the prevalence of lead poisoning almost doubled in almost 3,000 US locations compared to Flint. The rate of elevated blood tests was at least four times greater in over 1,000 of these communities than it was in Flint. Since neurotoxins like lead can cause irreversible brain damage, their impacts on health are most severe in children. Lead exposure, even at low concentrations, has been linked to children's poor scholastic performance, poorer IQ scores, inability to pay attention, and reduced motor function skills.

Lead Exposure and Brain Function

Lead poisoning is known to alter behavior, motor function, and cognition, therefore it is not unexpected that lead poisoning contributes to the pathophysiology of ADHD. According to Braun et al. (2006), lead exposure is thought to be the cause of 290,000 extra occurrences of ADHD in children in the US. According to a study conducted on over 5,000 American children between the ages of 4 and 15, those with the highest blood lead levels were more than four times more likely than those with the lowest blood lead levels to suffer from ADHD (Braun et al., 2006). A 2016 study that investigated the relationship between childhood lead exposure and impulsivity and hyperactivity discovered that the children had a mutation in a gene that controls iron uptake and affects lead metabolism. According to Nigg et al. (2016), the researchers' conclusion was that "the results of our study are difficult to explain unless lead is, in fact, part of the causation of ADHD, not simply an association”).

A blood lead level of 5 µg/dL has been established by the CDC as the benchmark for determining whether children need case management. Nonetheless, an abundance of research has demonstrated that lead concentrations less than 5 μg/dL are nonetheless linked to symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and learning challenges. Even at modest concentrations, elevated blood lead levels are associated with an increased risk of ADHD symptoms. 2,200 kids between the ages of 7 and 9 who did not have ADHD at baseline were monitored for two years in one research. Approximately 5%, or 107 patients, had possible ADHD. According to Choi et al. (2016), children with blood lead levels 2.17 μg/dL were 55% more likely to develop ADHD than those with levels 2.17 μg/dL.

Effects of Too Much Copper in Drinking Water on Neurotoxicity

The body uses copper for the creation of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that promotes motivation and alertness.

Several research have evaluated the neurotoxic consequences of excessive copper and its connection to symptoms of ADHD. In children and adolescents, attention and short-term memory problems are linked to high copper levels and an ADHD diagnosis (Viktorinova et al., 2016; Kicinski et al., 2015). Eighty adults with ADHD participated in a randomized controlled experiment; those with lower baseline copper levels responded better to vitamin-mineral supplement treatment. Merely 35% of those in the highest copper tertile showed response to therapy. By contrast, according to Rucklidge et al. (2014), 77% of adults in the middle copper tertile reacted to therapy.

Zinc Deficit and Mental Well-Being

In people with ADHD, excess copper in the context of a zinc deficit can be very detrimental. Another necessary trace mineral for the creation of neurotransmitters in the central nervous system is zinc. Over 300 enzymatic processes in the body depend on zinc to maintain healthy growth and development. Zinc deficiency has been connected by researchers to the pathophysiology of a number of neuropsychiatric disorders, including ADHD. Zinc deficiency has been regularly seen in children and adults with ADHD, according to numerous research. Numerous studies have shown that children with ADHD not only have reduced zinc levels, but that the degree of zinc deficiency in these children is inversely connected with the severity of their symptoms. Seventy percent of the twenty cases with ADHD, ages six to sixteen, in a recent case-control study lacked zinc. On the Conners parent rating scale, those with lower hair zinc levels scored lowest for impulsivity, oppositional, hyperactivity, and inattention (Elbaz et al.). According to their parents' assessments, the children with the lowest blood levels of zinc, out of a total of 118 ADHD children, also exhibited the most severe behavior issues, anxiety, and hyperactivity (Oner et al.).

Not only do children with ADHD have lower zinc levels, but there is also an inverse relationship between the severity of symptoms and the degree of zinc deficiency.Zinc Supplementation to Reduce Excessive Behavior and Improve ADHD It has been empirically demonstrated using copper electromyogram (EMG) studies, which measure brain activity, that low plasma zinc levels have a deleterious effect on information processing. 24 control children and 28 ADHD males, ages 7 to 12, who did not take medication were compared. Parietal and frontal brain event-related potential indices Supplementing with zinc reduces symptoms more than a placebo and increases the potency of stimulant drugs. During 12 weeks, 400 children with ADHD, ages 6 to 14, were randomly assigned to either 150 mg/day of zinc sulfate or a placebo. The children who took zinc showed a substantial reduction in symptoms related to hyperactivity, impulsivity, and impaired socializing (Bilici et al., 2004). Similarly, during ten weeks, approximately 200 children were randomized to receive 15 mg/day of zinc or a placebo; the children who took zinc showed a substantial improvement in conduct disorder, oppositional behavior, hyperactivity, and attentiveness (Üçkardeş et al., 2009).