I had a post all ready to go for this week, when I did a last minute pivot.
I had a loyal supporter and reader of Back To Basics Nutrition reach out with a question and support on a small issue that had arisen with her young son.
The Question
Does iron deficiency have links to *ADHD/ADD symptoms?
*Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder/Attention Deficit Disorder
She wrote to me saying that her son has some low iron issues and now his teachers are suggesting that ‘something is wrong’ (which usually means ‘we see some attention/focus issues and we need to test for a diagnosis).
So Let’s Start This Deep Dive
ADHD diagnosis are on the upswing in children. Diagnosis is usually initiated from the classroom when teachers notice that children are having issues with focus, concentration and impulsivity. This them leads to discussions with parents, doctors appointments and visiting a specialist or psychologist. The child is taken through a series of questions/tasks and the practitioner observes and makes a diagnosis. These questions or tasks are usually more cognitive in nature. I nor my children have gone through this process, so I am unaware if nutrition or sleep is ever questioned in the diagnosis. So I google the procedure and here is what I found out:
Standardized ADHD tests involve:
- interviews, behavioral observations, questionnaires- appointment with your doctor to rule out any other causes to the observed symptoms and behaviors (this is usually where nutrient deficiencies would be tested)
- vision and hearing check
- visit with a psychologist/neuropsychologist for further testing if required.
Now unless, your primary care doctor requested bloodwork for nutritional deficiencies, there is usually no discussion of food changes and pharmaceuticals are prescribed to help the brain focus.
But the question still lies, do nutrient deficiencies, such a low iron contribute to the symptoms of ADHD.
Short answer…YES!
Iron, Dopamine and Norepinephrine
The brain requires every essential nutrient to function properly. So if you are deficient in a nutrient, this can have an effect on brain function.
Iron deficiency can create a risk of developing ADHD, anxiety, depression and sleep issues **sleep issues can also increase the diagnosis of ADHD, but that is another post** .
So why is iron so important to brain health? Iron is the nutrient that is responsible for carrying oxygen to the brain and other parts of our body in our red blood cells. To understand the function of iron fully, we have to go back to our chemistry days.
Iron is a special molecule, as it gives and receives electrons which make it a very useful and required part of the electron transport chain. Iron also plays as important role in constructing DNA, myelin for nerve impulse, serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine.
Dopamine and norepinephrine are important neurotransmitters for brain function and low or imbalanced levels are linked to ADHD.
What exactly does dopamine and norepinephrine do? Norepinephrine is the chemical that plays a role in our fight or flight response. Its function is to mobilize your brain and body for action, increasing alertness, energy, concentration and focus. Dopamine is the chemical that is responsible for reward, motivation, pleasure as well as concentration. These 2 neurotransmitters play off each other to create balance - like a teeter totter..
So if these chemicals are not getting the correct nutrients, such as iron, the imbalance can cause different symptoms like lack of concentration, alertness, or motivation.
How Do You Know if You Are Low in Iron?
The best way to determine if iron levels are low, is through blood testing. But we can also determine and make an educated guess based on symptomatology.
overall lack of energy/fatigue
pale appearance especially inner eyelids
brittle nails
cold feet and hands
redder than normal tongue
cracks on the side of the mouth
headaches
When it comes to children, iron deficiency is common. Rapid growth spurts can cause the body to deplete nutrients faster than normal. Another cause of low iron is a child’s eating habits. Sometimes it is hard to get a child to eat meat (best form of heme iron) because of texture or unable to chew when a child has new teeth coming through.
Best Sources of Iron
The best source of iron is meat (red meat mostly) and certain organs ie, liver, and oysters You want to include these in your diet as they are the best source of heme iron. Heme iron empowers hemoglobin in blood to carry oxygen around the body. -Non-heme iron sources such as legumes, nuts, seeds, leafy greens are also high is iron but not as bio available as meat sources.
You can also supplement with iron if necessary. If that is the case, I would suggest a liquid supplement as it is more easily absorbed. Iron supplements also work synergistically with Vitamin C for maximum absorption.
More Resources
Iron, Dopamine, and ADHD | Psychology Today
Danni
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In Case you Missed it…
When European researchers found a link between artificial ingredients, carcinogenic proven food dyes like red 40 and red 3 and yellow 5 and 6, etc....with ADHD symptoms they banned them. In the USA over 7 million American children ages 3 to 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD and 6 million are on ADHD medications. Why don't European children have these types of diagnosis? It's not low iron. It's because unlike American children they don't eat chemicals disguised as " food". The McDonald's in Europe is made with different ingredients than the McDonald's in the U$A.