The B50 complex is not a specific vitamin but rather a combination of a number of different B-vitamins, most in the amounts of 50 mg or mcg, with the exception of folic acid; you need 400 mcg of folic acid to meet daily requirements. In most cases, these amounts are significantly higher than established daily requirements, as much as 3,000 times higher or more. Do not take B50 supplements or give them to children to treat attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, without your doctor's approval.
Causes
The causes of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, which affects between three to five percent of American children, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center, have not been determined. While B-complex vitamins work together and play a number of roles in energy utilization and tissue repair, there is no clinical proof that megadoses of B-complex vitamins help people with ADHD or that B-complex deficiency contributes to the disorder.
Studies
A French study conducted by the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Carémeu and published in the March 2006 issue of "Magnesium Research" studied the effects of a magnesium-B6 combination on 40 children for an eight-week period. The children with ADHD had lower magnesium levels than the 36 children in the control group. Attentiveness improved and hyperactivity and aggressiveness decreased at the end of the period. Magnesium levels also increased. When the children stopped taking the supplement, symptoms reappeared. Researchers designed this study to show the effectiveness of magnesium rather than B-6. Studies have not proven B-6 effective in treating ADHD.
Risks
High amounts of vitamin B-6 can cause nerve damage. Although damage normally doesn't occur in doses less than 100 mg in adults, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements, children could have an increased risk at lower doses. Any vitamin taken in excess, including all the B-complex vitamins, can have side effects when taken in excessive amounts.
Considerations
No clinical studies indicate a benefit to taking B50 if you have ADHD. A combination of B-6 and magnesium may be beneficial, but the studies associated with this combination attributed the improvement to the magnesium. Disorders like ADHD may have multifactorial causes; people with this disorder may need individualized therapies. Talk with your doctor before taking megadoses of any vitamin, even those sold over-the-counter.
References
- GNC: B50
- Acu-Cell Nutrition:DRI / RDA for B-Vitamins
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- "Magnesium Research"; Improvement of Neurobehavioral Disorders in Children Supplemented with Magnesium-Vitamin B6. I. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders; M.Mousain-Bosc, et al.; March 2006
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin B-6
