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Vitamin B6 and Magnesium Therapy for Children with Autism

PWSMom — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:42:07 +0000

Body:

What is it?

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) is an essential vitamin that is necessary for more than 60 biological processes in a healthy human body. The body converts vitamin B6 into pyroxidal-5-phosphate (PLP), a compound that is used to release energy from carbohydrates and starches, and to break down proteins. PLP is also used in the production of important chemicals in the brain ⁽¹⁾.

Magnesium (Mg) is an essential mineral that is necessary for the health of every cell in the body, including the proper functioning of brain and muscle cells. While, magnesium deficiency is rare, some research suggests that children with autism may have too little magnesium ^{(2 3)}.

Some parents supplement a child's diet with a combination of vitamin B6 and magnesium as an alternative therapy for autism.

What's it like?

Vitamin B6 and magnesium supplements can be purchased online, or from almost any grocery, drug, or health-food store (see Resources).

Vitamin B6 is found in many foods; avocados, liver, nuts, chicken, fish, wheat germ, and bananas are good sources of the vitamin. Vitamin B6 is often included as one of many vitamins in a multivitamin supplement, but check with your child's pediatrician before starting a supplement. Vitamin B6 supplements can be taken every day, but may be difficult to give to children, since some children may find that vitamin B6 tastes bitter in tablet or powder form. Liquid B6 supplements are also available and may be better tasting ⁽⁴⁾. Doses of vitamin B6 in research studies varied from 0.6 mg/kg/day (about 10.8 mg/day for a 40-pound child) ^{(3 )}, to 30 mg/kg body weight/day (about 545 mg/day for a 40-pound child) ^{(5, 6)}.

By comparison, the U.S. recommended daily allowance (RDA) for vitamin B6 is 1.3 to 1.7 mg/day for adults, and 0.5 to 0.6 mg/day for children ages 1 to 8 years old ⁽⁷⁾.

Magnesium is found in many foods, but is especially plentiful in green vegetables, seeds, nuts, and whole grains. A supplement containing magnesium can be taken every day, but check with your child's pediatrician before starting a supplement. While it is not clear what the proper dose for children with autism should be, research reports used a dose in the range of 6 to15 mg/kg/day (or about 108 to 270 mg total daily for a 40-pound child) ^{(3, 8)}.

For comparison, the U.S. Daily Reference Intakes for magnesium is 320 to 420 mg/day for adults, and 80-130 mg/day for children ages 1 to 8 years old ⁽⁷⁾.Some parents supplement magnesium by giving their children Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) baths. While magnesium can be absorbed through the skin, it is hard to say what dose of magnesium a child is getting from an Epsom salt bath.

If you choose vitamin B6 and magnesium as an alternative therapy, ask your child's pediatrician about the dose appropriate for your child. Vitamin B6 can cause upset stomach when not taken with a meal, so also ask a physician to provide a sample schedule for taking B6 and magnesium (see Is it Harmful?).

What is the theory behind it?

The enzyme that is used to break down vitamin B6 into PLP may not work as well in children with autism ^{(4, 9)}. PLP is needed for the production of dopamine, a brain chemical that is very important for many behaviors ⁽¹⁾. If children with autism are not producing enough PLP from the vitamin B6 they have in their diets, then supplementing with extra B6 may help boost the production of PLP to more normal levels ⁽⁹⁾.

Children with autism can have significantly lower levels of magnesium in hair and blood than non-autistic children ^{(2, 3, 10)}. There is evidence that magnesium supplementation can have a calming effect on some children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) ⁽¹¹⁾.

Aside from the necessity of magnesium for the overall physical health as well as the proper functioning of the brain, there is no specific theory about how magnesium deficiency could contribute to autism. The two supplements are often given together, as some researchers have reported that the side effects of vitamin B6 treatment are eliminated by magnesium ⁽¹²⁾. However, studies in which vitamin B6 was used alone did not report any adverse side effects ^{(8, 13)}.

Does it work?

There is some controversy surrounding the evidence for the effectiveness of vitamin B6 and magnesium in autism ⁽¹²⁾. Two small but well-controlled studies showed no effects, positive or negative, of combined vitamin B6 and magnesium therapy ^{(14, 15)}. One larger, but less well-controlled study showed positive and significant behavioral effects of combined vitamin B6 and magnesium, but not vitamin B6 or magnesium alone ⁽¹⁴⁾.

Additional studies showed that vitamin B6 and magnesium had significant positive effects on behavior in children with autism ^{(3, 8, 16, 17)}. There were, however, major problems with the designs of these studies. In particular, the researchers in these studies knew that the children were receiving supplements. Therefore, their ratings of the children's behavior could be biased. However, one of these studies did include another small, double-blind, portion suggesting that vitamin B6 and magnesium therapy can improve behavior in some children with autism ⁽¹⁶⁾.

The difference in outcomes of the various studies could be because vitamin B6 and magnesium results in positive behavioral effects for about half of those who try the therapy ⁽¹⁸⁾. Another explanation is that vitamin B6 and magnesium supplementation is not effective. The better-designed studies suggest that this may be the case, although these studies were so small, it is difficult to draw conclusions from them ^{(12, 18)}.

Is it harmful?

Vitamin B6 can cause nerve problems at high doses (in adults, over 2g/day) ⁽¹⁹⁾. However, studies of children with autism taking vitamin B6 and magnesium have reported no significant side effects ^{(4, 14)}. Furthermore, in children with epilepsy who had been taking high doses of vitamin B6 or PLP (900 mg for a 40-pound child) for six months, no significant side effects were reported ⁽¹³⁾.

Magnesium can be toxic at doses greater than 600 mg a day. However, studies using magnesium supplements at moderate doses (around 200 mg a day) have not reported significant side effects ^{(8, 11)}.

Check with your child's pediatrician before starting treatment.

Cost

A bottle of 100 multivitamin tablets containing B6 can cost anywhere from $10 to $40, and a bottle of 100 tablets of magnesium supplements at 250 mg per tablet can cost anywhere from $5 to $20. Prices depend on the store and the brand of the supplement.

Magnesium and vitamin B6 can come in several forms; ask your child's pediatrician which forms are best for your child.

Resources

Healing Thresholds has partnered with Webvitamins. They have a large selection of top quality vitamins and supplements.

Vitamin B6 and magnesium can be purchased online or in a drugstore. They can be included in a multivitamin supplement or they can be purchased individually. Supplements can also be found online, sometimes at a discount.

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References

The Role of Vitamins and Minerals in Psychiatry

scottie — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:26:03 +0000

Title	The Role of Vitamins and Minerals in Psychiatry
Publication Type	Journal Article
Authors	Cornish S, Mehl_Madrona L
Journal Title	Integrative Medicine Insights
Year of Publication	2008
Volume	3
Pages	33-42
URL for Abstract	http://www.la-press.com/the-role-of-vitamins-and-minerals-in-psychiatry-a1113
Full Text	Vitamin B6 and magnesium therapy may help some children with autism. In one older study, 42% of children with autism had low levels of vitamin B6. These results prompted doctors to try vitamin B6 therapy for patients with autism. Parents of some children with autism reported improvements in behavior with vitamin B6 treatment alone. Some children also showed improvement after combined treatment with vitamin B6 and magnesium. A recent large study (Rimland and Edelson) of 5,780 autistic children and adults reported clinical improvement in 47% of the patients who received combined vitamin B6 and magnesium therapy.

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

scottie — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 19:28:29 +0000

Title	Vitamin B6, Magnesium, and Combined B6-Mg: Therapeutic Effects in Childhood Autism
Publication Type	Journal Article
Authors	Martineau J, Barthelemy C, Garreau B, Lelord G
Journal Title	Biol Psychiatry
Year of Publication	1985
Volume	20
Issue	5
Pages	467-478
URL for Abstract	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=3886023&query_hl=5&itool=pubmed_docsum
Full Text	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.

Combined Vitamin B6-Magnesium Treatment in Autism Spectrum Disorder

scottie — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 17:52:30 +0000

Title	Combined Vitamin B6-Magnesium Treatment in Autism Spectrum Disorder
Publication Type	Journal Article
Authors	Nye C, Brice A
Journal Title	Cochrane Database Syst Rev.
Year of Publication	2005
Volume	19
Issue	4
Pages	CD003497
URL for Abstract	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=16235322&query_hl=1&itool=pubmed_docsum
Full Text	This paper concludes that there is not enough information available to determine whether vitamin B6 and magnesium supplementation can effectively improve the behavior of children with autism. This article reviews research on the effectiveness of vitamin B6 and magnesium treatment for autism. Some researchers have reported improvements in the behavior of children with autism that seem to result from treatment with vitamin B6 and magnesium. The purpose of this article is to take a critical eye to the research showing that vitamin B6 and magnesium help improve the behavior of children with autism. As a result, the authors have very high standards for the types of studies they analyzed. They found only two studies published between 1861 and 2002 were up to the level of these standards (Tolbert et al. 1993, Findling et al. 1997). Both studies had very small numbers of participants (10 in one study, 15 in the other). The study with 15 participants (Tolbert et al. 1993) used doses of vitamin B6 that were lower than in previous studies (200 mg/70 kg body weight per day or about 52 mg for a 40-pound child). This study showed no effect of vitamin B6 and magnesium on behavior. The lack of effect, however, could be due to the low dosage used in the study. In the study with 10 participants, a higher dose of vitamin B6 was used (30 mg/kg body weight per day or about 545 mg for a 40-pound child, Findling et al. 1997). The authors of that study concluded that vitamin B6 and magnesium resulted in no significant improvements in behavior. The authors of this review examined the results of this 10-person study carefully and found that vitamin B6 and magnesium did result in some significant improvement in behavior. Findling and colleagues (authors of the research) did not report this result in the study. Therefore, the authors of this review questioned the analysis and reporting of the authors of that study.

Efficacy of Vitamin B6 and Magnesium in the Treatment of Autism: A Methodology Review and Summary of Outcomes

scottie — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 02:57:54 +0000

Title	Efficacy of Vitamin B6 and Magnesium in the Treatment of Autism: A Methodology Review and Summary of Outcomes
Publication Type	Journal Article
Authors	Pfeiffer SI, Norton J, Nelson L, Shott S
Journal Title	J Autism Dev Disord.
Year of Publication	1995
Volume	25
Issue	5
Pages	481-493
URL for Abstract	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=8567594&query_hl=26&itool=pubmed_docsum
Full Text	This article provides a systematic overview of the research testing whether the behavior of children with autism can be improved by high doses of vitamin B6 and magnesium. The authors conclude that while some children may be helped by the treatment, more well-controlled studies must be done. This article reports on a thorough search of the research studies on B6 and magnesium supplementation as an alternative therapy for autism. The authors find twelve studies published before 1995, most of which suggested that B6 and magnesium can help improve the behavior of about half of children who have been diagnosed with autism. The authors note, however, that there are several problems with the designs of these studies. These problems include: not measuring long-term effects of supplementation, using only small numbers of children in each study, and not defining precise behavioral outcome measures.

Effects of Pyridoxine and Magnesium on Autistic Symptoms—Initial Observations

scottie — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 02:55:17 +0000

Title	Effects of Pyridoxine and Magnesium on Autistic Symptoms—Initial Observations
Publication Type	Journal Article
Authors	Lelord G, Muh JP, Barthelemy C, Martineau J, Garreau B, Callaway E
Journal Title	Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
Year of Publication	1981
Volume	11
Pages	219-230
URL for Abstract	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=6765503&query_hl=13&itool=pubmed_DocSum
Full Text	This article reports that the behavior of some children with autism can be improved by high doses of vitamin B6 and magnesium. This is a follow-up study to previous work showing that the withdrawal of vitamin B6 had negative influences on the behavior of children with autism. The first experiment in this study focuses on 44 children (3.5 to 16 years old) who had been diagnosed with â??autistic symptomsâ? (social withdrawal, stereotyped behavior, tantrums, and hypersensitivity to sensory stimulation). All children received vitamin B6 at a dose of 30 mg/kg body weight daily (about 545 mg daily for a 40-pound child) for two weeks; magnesium was also given to each child at several doses depending on body weight, but exact dose is not stated in the article. For 15 of the 44 children (34%), behavior improved during the treatment period, including increases in alertness, reductions in tantrums, and improved overall outlook on life. In 14 of these fifteen children, the improvements disappeared several weeks after the children stopped taking the supplements. The second experiment in this study was a well-controlled, double-blind experiment focusing on 21 of the children who had been included in the first study. As in the first experiment, the supplements were taken for two weeks, and these two weeks either followed or preceded placebo treatment. Ten of the children who had previously improved with the supplements also improved during the supplement treatment, and two of the children who had previously not responded to the supplements had improved behavior this time. There were no significant side effects.

High-Dose Pyridoxine and Magnesium Administration in Children with Autistic Disorder: An Absence of Salutary Effects in a Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study

scottie — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 02:43:44 +0000

Title	High-Dose Pyridoxine and Magnesium Administration in Children with Autistic Disorder: An Absence of Salutary Effects in a Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study
Publication Type	Journal Article
Authors	Findling RL, Maxwell K, Scotese-Wojtila L, Huang J, Yamashita T, Wiznitzer M
Journal Title	Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
Year of Publication	1997
Volume	27
Pages	467-478
URL for Abstract	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=9261669&query_hl=6&itool=pubmed_docsum
Full Text	This article reports that children with autism taking a high dose of vitamin B6 and magnesium had no major side effects of the treatment, but also did not have improved behavior. Several researchers have shown that children with autism can benefit from taking high doses of vitamin B6, sometimes combined with magnesium. The authors of this article wanted to determine whether this effect could be replicated in their laboratory. Ten children with autism (3-17 years old) were compared over time in their behavioral responses to treatment with either vitamin B6 and magnesium, or placebo. Vitamin B6 was given at 30 mg/kg body weight per day (about 545 mg for a 40-pound child), with a maximum daily dose of 1 gram. Magnesium was given at 10 mg/kg body weight per day (about 182 mg for a 40-pound child), with a maximum daily dose of 350 mg. Both supplements were taken over a 10-week period, then either continued for another 10 weeks or replaced with placebo. No differences in behavior were found over the treatment periods. However, the authors point out that because of the small number of subjects, the results do not indicate that vitamin B6 is not useful in the treatment of autism.

Brief Report: Lack of Response in an Autistic Population to a Low Dose Clinical Trial of Pyridoxine Plus Magnesium

scottie — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 02:40:37 +0000

Title	Brief Report: Lack of Response in an Autistic Population to a Low Dose Clinical Trial of Pyridoxine Plus Magnesium
Publication Type	Journal Article
Authors	Tolbert L, Haigler T, Waits MM, Dennis T
Journal Title	Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
Year of Publication	1993
Volume	23
Pages	193-199
URL for Abstract	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=8463199&query_hl=24&itool=pubmed_docsum
Full Text	This article reports that children with autism taking a low dose of vitamin B6 and magnesium had no major side effects of the treatment, but also did not have improved behavior. Several researchers have shown that children with autism can benefit from taking high doses of vitamin B6, sometimes combined with magnesium. The authors of this article wanted to determine whether the same effect would occur with low doses of vitamin B6 and magnesium. Fifteen children with autism and five controls were compared over time in their behavioral responses to treatment with either vitamin B6 and magnesium, or placebo. Vitamin B6 was given at 200 mg/70 kg body weight per day (about 52 mg for a 40-pound child), and magnesium was given at 100 mg/70 kg body weight per day (about 26 mg for a 40-pound child). Both supplements were taken over a 10-week period, then either continued for another 10 weeks or replaced with placebo. No differences in behavior were found over the treatment periods or between children with autism and controls.