What is it that adolescent boys need more than girls?

[Guest guest]

Ellen C G Grant,

physician and medical gynaecologist

Kingston KT2 7JU, UK

http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/eletters/330/7495/835

Fombonne and Michaud1 contribute yet another review of mental

health problems with no mention of fundamental underlying

biochemical causes which are treatable.2-5

What is it that adolescent boys need more than girls? The answer is

zinc. Normal brain function and development and growth are dependent

on an adequate zinc status. Intracellular zinc levels can be

measured accurately at parts per billion by using passive sweat

collected for an hour. Zinc deficiency is the commonest biochemical

abnormality in children (and adults) if a sweat test is used for the

diagnosis.6 Cadmium from smoking lowers zinc levels.

Too high serum copper levels have long been associated with

schizophrenia. Copper deficiency and low copper stores can be

diagnosed by a red blood cell superoxide dismutase function test.

Restoration of a normal zinc/copper ratio can result in extremely

dramatic improvements in mental and neuronal function.

Abnormalities in minerals and B vitamins can relate to mental

symptoms and can also block essential fatty acid (EFAs) pathways.

Repletion of omega-3 EFAs have given significant improvements in

adverse mental symptoms in randomised trials.7

Mental illness and zinc brings up 876 references in Pub Med

Mental illness and copper - 583 references

Mental illness and polyunsaturated fatty acids - 1642 references

1 Fombonne E, Michaud P-A. ABC of adolescence. Common mental health

problems BMJ 2005; 330:835-838 (9 April),

doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7495.835

2 Singh M. Role of micronutrients for physical growth and mental

development. Indian J Pediatr. 2004; 71(1):59-62.

3 Ames BN. A role for supplements in optimizing health: the

metabolic tune-up. Arch Biochem Biophys. 2004 Mar 1;423(1):227-34.

4 Casper RC. Nutrients, neurodevelopment, and mood. Curr Psychiatry

Rep. 2004;6(6):425-9.

5 Moynahan EJ. Trace elements in man. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol

Sci. 1979; 288(1026):65-79.

6 Grant ECG. Developmental dyslexia and zinc deficiency. Lancet.

2004; 364(9430):247-8.

7 Peet M. Eicosapentaenoic acid in the treatment of schizophrenia

and depression: rationale and preliminary double-blind clinical

trial results. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2003; 69

(6): 477-85.

Competing interests: None declared