One of the great medical discoveries of the last century involved the identification of the nutritional substances necessary for life. Along with the “macronutrients” (fat, carbohydrate, and protein), these “micronutrients” make up the essential ingredients of a healthful diet.
Vitamins and minerals have been available as supplements since at least the 1930s. There are two main ways to use vitamins and mineral supplements: "megadose" and nutritional therapy.
To read more about these two types and which is recommended, read the main Nutritional Support page.
A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 80 healthy male volunteers found that 28 days of treatment with a multivitamin and mineral supplement (containing calcium, magnesium, and zinc) significantly reduced anxiety and the sensation of stress.30
There are two main ways to use vitamins and mineral supplements: "megadose" and nutritional therapy.
To read more about these two types and which is recommended, read the main Nutritional Support page.
Sometimes disorders or health challenges can be the result of a nutritional deficiency. Oftentimes, taking a multivitamin or multimineral can help supplement the diet and restore levels of assorted vitamins and minerals in the body. The same is true of the anxiety felt in panic disorder-your physical body might be reacting out of a deficiency that is then turning into a mental anxiety. Correcting that internal imbalance of nutritional deficits can often help to calm this anxiety.
One of the great medical discoveries of the last century involved the identification of the nutritional substances necessary for life. Along with the “macronutrients” (fat, carbohydrate, and protein), these “micronutrients” make up the essential ingredients of a healthful diet.
Vitamins and minerals have been available as supplements since at least the 1930s. There are two main ways to use vitamins and mineral supplements: "megadose" and nutritional therapy.
To read more about these two types and which is recommended, read the main Nutritional Support page.
Sometimes disorders or health challenges can be the result of a nutritional deficiency. Oftentimes, taking a multivitamin or multimineral can help supplement the diet and restore levels of assorted vitamins and minerals in the body.
A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 80 healthy male volunteers found that 28 days of treatment with a multivitamin and mineral supplement (containing calcium, magnesium, and zinc) significantly reduced anxiety and the sensation of stress.30
Sometimes disorders or health challenges can be the result of a nutritional deficiency. Oftentimes, taking a multivitamin or multimineral can help supplement the diet and restore levels of assorted vitamins and minerals in the body.
There is no doubt that it's important to get enough of all necessary nutrients. However, the process of determining proper daily intake levels for vitamins and minerals is far from an exact science and the recommendations issued by experts in various countries often disagree to a certain extent.
In general, while it is fairly easy to determine the minimum nutrient intakes that are necessary to avoid frank malnutrition, there's no straightforward way to determine optimum intake levels. Furthermore, individual needs undoubtedly vary based on numerous factors, including age, genetics, lifestyle, other foods in the diet, and many additional environmental influences; no schedule of official recommendations could possibly take all these factors into account, even if all the necessary data existed (which it doesn't).
Thus, all recommendations for daily nutrient intake must be regarded as approximate. The individual supplement articles in this encyclopedia summarize the current US recommendations.
Common Nutritional Deficiencies
Severe deficiencies of vitamins or minerals are rare in the developed world. However, evidence suggests that slight deficiencies in certain nutrients may be relatively common. These include calcium, chromium, folate, magnesium, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin B12 (primarily in the elderly), vitamin D, vitamin E, and zinc. Many of these deficiencies can indeed be true for people with autism as well.
One small study found that use of a multivitamin/multimineral supplement improved sleep and gastrointestinal problems in people with autistic spectrum disorder to a greater extent than placebo.18
There is no doubt that it's important to get enough of all necessary nutrients. However, the process of determining proper daily intake levels for vitamins and minerals is far from an exact science and the recommendations issued by experts in various countries often disagree to a certain extent.
In general, while it is fairly easy to determine the minimum nutrient intakes that are necessary to avoid frank malnutrition, there's no straightforward way to determine optimum intake levels. Furthermore, individual needs undoubtedly vary based on numerous factors, including age, genetics, lifestyle, other foods in the diet, and many additional environmental influences; no schedule of official recommendations could possibly take all these factors into account, even if all the necessary data existed (which it doesn't).
Thus, all recommendations for daily nutrient intake must be regarded as approximate. The individual supplement articles in this encyclopedia summarize the current US recommendations.
Common Nutritional Deficiencies
Severe deficiencies of vitamins or minerals are rare in the developed world. However, evidence suggests that slight deficiencies in certain nutrients may be relatively common. These include calcium, chromium, folate, magnesium, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin B12 (primarily in the elderly), vitamin D, vitamin E, and zinc. Many of these deficiencies can indeed be true for people with autism as well.
