Relationship between antioxidant status and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder among children

Abstract

Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the prevalent neuropsychiatric disorders in childhood. In general, diagnoses of ADHD include inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Recent studies have reported increased oxidative stress in psychiatric disorders such as ADHD, but the results are conflicting. This research aimed to study the relationship between antioxidant status and ADHD in children of 6–13 years old. Methods: From schools, 32 ADHD students whose diseases were diagnosed by child and adolescence psychiatrist based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV index were recruited; moreover, 32 healthy subjects, which according to the medical history questionnaire of psychiatric disorder had not had chronic disease, were selected. Total antioxidant capacity (TAC), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), and malondiadehyde (MDA) were measured. General information, health history, and medication history were collected. All participants completed a 168-item food frequency questionnaire. Dietary intakes of antioxidants were obtained through this questionnaire. Results: There was no significant difference between mean of energy intake and Zn, Se, vitamin E, C, and β-carotene as antioxidants between the two groups. The mean of serum TAC, GSH level, and CAT level in the patients were significantly lower than the healthy group ( P < 0.001), but the mean of MDA was not significantly different between the two groups ( P = 0.18). Conclusions: The result of this study indicates that, in ADHD, the serum levels of GSH, CAT, and TAC decrease; the level of antioxidant in the serum has been compromised to fight oxidative stress. More perspective studies with large sample sizes are essential to confirm these findings.

Antioxidants as a Potential Target against Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

“…MDA is the degradation product of the main chain reactions that lead to the oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids, and therefore serves as an oxidative stress marker. Recently, it was reported that the total antioxidant capacity, catalase and GSH were significantly lower but that MDA was not significantly different in children with ADHD [114]. However, high levels of MDA have been observed in both adults [115,116] and children with ADHD [117], and increased plasma MDA and urinary 8-OHdG levels were found in children with ADHD compared to healthy children [118].…”

Metabolomic Markers in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) among Children and Adolescents—A Systematic Review

“…It is noteworthy that another study identified high MDA concentrations in children with ADHD, but this difference lost statistical significance after corrections were applied [62]. Two included studies did not find significant differences in MDA levels [52,58]. However, Avcil et al noted in their study that measuring absolute values of various oxidative stress markers is often insufficient, suggesting the utility of calculating ratios between them.…”

Dynamic Thiol/Disulfide Homeostasis and Oxidative DNA Damage in Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

“…In addition, Nasim et al . [ 37 ] detected low serum CAT, glutathione (GSH), and TAS levels in patients with ADHD.…”