Vitamin B6 & Magnesium Used in Autism Treatments

There is not yet a cure for autism, but a popular treatment called megavitamin therapy may help. Based on evidence that some people with autism need vitamin B6 to balance their metabolites---which impact growth and development---vitamin B6, combined with magnesium, has been implemented as a treatment for autism with relative success.

Effects

• Although results vary from one individual to the next, vitamin B6 and magnesium have been shown to help improve the speech, attention span, and sleep problems of many autism sufferers. It has also decreased behaviors such as self-stimulation and calmed irritability. Overall, megavitamin treatment---that is, vitamin B6 and magnesium in combination with other minerals and vitamins that work together to aid metabolism---is a natural treatment whose benefit has been proven in the following studies.

History

• Autism was first linked with vitamin B6 in 1966, when neurologists A. F. Heeley and G. E. Roberts published "A study of tryptophan metabolism in psychotic children," in which they reported that 11 of 19 autistic children needed vitamin B6 to balance their metabolites. (See Reference 1 and Reference 2)

  In the 1970s, Dr. Bernard Rimland, founder of the Autism Research Institute, conducted a trial on over 200 autistic children, giving them a number of vitamins including B6. After four months he discovered that B6 was the pivotal factor in the improvement of 30-40 percent of the children. (See Reference 1) He also noticed that magnesium relieved the occasional side effects of B6 such as sensitivity to auditory stimuli and wetting the bed. (See Reference 1)

Recent Findings

• Recent studies continue to prove the potential of megavitamin therapy. In 1999, Dr. J. N. Hopkins at the Swinburne University of Technology in Australia wrote his master's thesis on B6 treatment for autism, and in his double-blind placebo study he noticed an improvement in 61 percent of subjects given B6 supplements. (See Reference 2)

  In 2005, Dr. Rimland and Dr. Stephen Edelson, director of the Autism Research Institute, performed a large-scale study on 5780 autistic individuals, including both children and adults, and found that B6 and magnesium treatment helped 47 percent of test subjects. (See Reference 2)

How It Works

• Vitamin B6 breaks down into PLP, which helps manufacture dopamine. Dopamine may influence some autistic behavioral problems, such as repetitive actions like hand-flapping characteristic of autism. Therefore, vitamin B6 may indirectly help regulate these behaviors.

  Besides reducing the negative side effects that sometimes result from taking extra vitamin B6, magnesium is also known for its calming effects on the body.

Effectiveness

• It appears that some autism sufferers have a B6 dependency, as B6 fixes the problem of abnormal metabolites discovered in Heeley's and Roberts' study from "A study of tryptophan metabolism in psychotic children." (See Reference 1 and Reference 2) According to Dr. Seth Friedman at the University of Washington, Seattle, children with autism have lower levels of the metabolites myoinositol, N-acetylaspartate, and creatine. (See Reference 3) As their name implies, metabolites are active in metabolism--they are involved in growth and development. Vitamin B6 is involved in several metabolic processes, and in autism sufferers, it normalizes the metabolites.

  Not every autistic person will improve when given B6. In most studies, approximately 40-60 percent of patients were helped by megavitamin therapy. (See Reference 2)

Considerations

• Before beginning B6 and magnesium treatment, consult your physician. Dosage depends on factors such as age, weight, diet, and individual needs. Once you have found the appropriate dosage for your case, find B6 and magnesium at any drugstore or health food shop. Because your body needs B6 and magnesium regardless of your condition, this treatment is a safe option when taken at the correct dosage.