By: Sid Bidare
ADHD affects 12.6% of children aged 12-17, and although various methods have been created to help manage ADHD, more are being discovered daily. Vitamins have long been known to play a crucial function in the body and the brain. However, new research is coming out that suggests that specific vitamin, Vitamin C, may be linked to ADHD in various ways.
Vitamin C is super essential for your body. The body uses vitamin C to heal itself, build more proteins, and even build muscle and bone. Vitamin C is also vital for the mind. Vitamin C is used to synthesize neurotransmitters like Dopamine or Norepinephrine. Studies have found a deficiency in norepinephrine contributes to ADHD. This is because norepinephrine mediates how the body processes and handles glucose and controls how stressed we feel. Thus norepinephrine can significantly affect mood swings and trouble staying focused experienced by many people with ADHD. The magazine Everyday Health finds, "As a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, norepinephrine increases alertness and arousal, and speed's reaction time."
In addition to norepinephrine, vitamin C plays a crucial role in the body's absorption of iron because, in the duodenum and jejunum, vitamin C helps create an acidic environment which helps oxidize ferrous iron to ferric iron, which is easier to absorb. Studies have found that Vitamin C is the only dietary constituent other than animal tissue that has been shown to promote iron absorption. This finding further explains that Iron absorption occurs predominantly in the duodenum and upper jejunum, where ferrous iron can be transported into small intestine mucosal epithelial cells. When taken orally, iron is always oxidized to the Fe3+ state from its original form. It requires an acidic gastrointestinal environment to be dissolved adequately for absorption. Vitamin C can create a more acidic environment in the stomach and prevent the oxidation of ferrous iron to ferric iron. Iron greatly affects ADHD because it can affect focus and mood. "A study found that 84 percent of children with ADHD had significantly lower iron levels, compared with 18 percent of kids without ADHD. The lower the levels of ferritin — a protein found inside cells that store iron — the more severe the symptoms."
Vitamin C generally shouldn't be taken within an hour of taking medicine because the acidity of vitamin C can affect your body's absorption of the medicine. A study found that vitamin C can mess with your phosphate binders and reduce your ability to withstand chemotherapy drugs. In addition, that can worsen ADHD symptoms, which is why vitamin C does not mix well with most medicines.
Bibliography
ADDitude Editors. (2022, July 13). ADHD statistics: New ADD facts and research. ADDitude. https://www.additudemag.com/statistics-of- adhd/#:~:text=ADHD%20Prevalence%20in%20Children&text=388%2C000%20(2.4%20percent)%20of%20young,aged%2012%20to%2017%20years
Cassata, C. (2015, December 11). Norepinephrine - ADHD, depression & low blood pressure. EverydayHealth.com. https://www.everydayhealth.com/norepinephrine/guide/
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2020, November 17). Vitamin C. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-vitamin-c/art-
20363932#:~:text=Taking%20vitamin%20C%20can%20increase,for%20people%20with%20kid
ney%20problems
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