These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: The myth of brain tonics.
    Author: Kabra SG.
    Journal: Health Millions; 1993 Apr; 1(2):10-1. PubMed ID: 12286465.
    Abstract:
    In India, vitamin tonics are promoted and sold as a means to improve the intelligence of children. 3 research studies in the UK have attempted to evaluate the influence of vitamin intake on nonverbal and verbal intelligence. The University of Dundee study by Dr. D. Benton and Dr. G. Roberts in 1988 followed 12-13 year old children who received vitamin supplementation for 8 months and compared the group with a matched group of 30 children who received placebos and a 3rd group who received nothing. The results of pretest and posttest scores showed improvement in nonverbal intelligence (solving problems not requiring vocabulary or information) among the group receiving vitamin and mineral supplementation. Another group of researchers from King College, London, evaluated intelligence scores of 11-12 year old children receiving vitamin and mineral supplementation and found no improvement in scores. This study did not exactly replicate the Benton study. A 3rd group of researchers from the University of Dundee did replicate the Benton and Roberts' study and found supplementation did not improve either verbal or nonverbal scores. Children are used in these research projects because nonverbal intelligence reaches its peak maximum by 18-21 years of age. Verbal intelligence continues to grow throughout life. In India, there is an emphasis in schools on development of verbal intelligence. Manufacturers of "brain tonics" claim that tonics improve children's performance in examinations. Not only are the research findings debatable, but there are other considerations that do not support use of supplementation to increase reasoning performance. The tonics, which contain an excess of vitamins in the daily requirement, are excreted in the urine rather than being stored in the body. Vitamins are also costly and are available to only 30% of the India's population. Production of vitamins such as B-12, B-1, or B-2 are in excess of the amount required if there were vitamin deficiencies. The assured benefit of consuming extra vitamins and minerals is in lining the economic pockets of tonic manufacturers and traders with money.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]