Research: Vitamin B6, Magnesium, and Combined B6-Mg: Therapeutic Effects in Childhood Autism

This article describes a study showing that the behavior of children with autism may be improved with supplementation using vitamin B6 and magnesium together, but not vitamin B6 or magnesium alone.

The focus of this report is on 60 children with autism (3-14 years old). Over a two-week treatment period, of these children who received vitamin B6 and magnesium, some received vitamin B6 alone, and some received magnesium alone. Over another two-week period, the children received a placebo that looked and tasted like the supplement they had received during the treatment period. The dose of vitamin B6 was 30 mg/kg/day (about 500 mg daily for a 40-pound child), and the dose of magnesium was 10-15 mg/kg/day (about 180-270 mg daily for a 40-pound child). Each child was observed before and after the treatment and placebo periods, and behavior was rated. The observers did not know which kind of supplement the child was taking. Brain waves were recorded before and after treatment to determine whether each treatment affected the way the brain responded to sounds. The results showed that significant improvements in behavior resulted only from the combined vitamin B6 and magnesium treatment. This was also the only treatment that showed positive effects on brain wave patterns.