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An observational preliminary study on the safety of long-term consumption of micronutrients for the treatment of psychiatric symptoms
To test the long-term safety of taking multivitamins, this 2019 study provided patients with psychiatric symptoms with one of two commercially available broad-spectrum micronutrient formulas (EMPowerplus and Daily Essential Nutrients) at doses above the Recommended Dietary Allowances. On average, the micronutrients were consumed for 2.66 years. Participants were examined on their full blood count, coagulation profile, liver, and kidney function, fasting glucose, iron, key nutrients, and prolactin. All but one of the blood tests were within the test reference ranges (B12 was elevated in many of the subjects). One patient was diagnosed with hemochromatosis, which is known as iron overload, but there were no other clinically relevant adverse changes in blood tests performed pre- and post-treatment. Moreover, 85% of the participants were in nonclinical ranges for measures of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, anxiety, and stress. This article provides preliminary evidence of the long-term safety of commercially available micronutrients, although there remain some unexplained questions. All in all, the psychiatric benefits of these micronutrient formulations appear to outweigh the risk in these patients. Screening for potential medical problems is recommended pre-treatment. [NPID: micronutrients, multivitamins, vitamins, minerals, safety, toxicity, depression, anxiety, stress, ADHD]
Year: 2019
