ABSTRACT:
Key Findings
- In a large sample of 358 adults with bipolar disorder, the effect size was large at 6 months (0.76, p < 0.001).
- For over half the sample, symptom improvement exceeded 50% at 3 and 6 months.
- One-third of the sample experienced very significant symptom reduction that exceeded 75%.
- The strongest predictors of improved mental health were (a) increasing micronutrient dose and (b) decreasing psychiatric medications.
Study Aims
Because of the incomplete benefit from pharmaceuticals and from single nutrient interventions in treating mood symptoms, and the more promising results from multinutrient formulas, the authors investigated the long term benefits of a broad-based micronutrient formula.
Data Source
The data was obtained from individuals who purchased a micronutrient formula and provide self reported symptom data to the product developers. The database used was anonymous, using assigned identifier numbers. The sample consisted of 682 adults who reported being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Within that group, 358 individuals reported the single diagnosis of bipolar disorder and provided symptom data for at least 6 months worth of analysis. Neither author was involved in any way with the data collection and could not bias the data in any way.
Results:
The analysis showed that not only was the use of the micronutrient formula linked to the outcome but the amount of formula taken (measured in capsules) was directly proportional to the outcome.
Individuals taking medications also experienced significant decreases in symptoms; however, the group with the higher medication index had the more moderate response, and while maintaining the improvement, did not improve like the other groups did.
The fact that symptom improvements were sustained or even increased at 6 months strongly suggests that the benefit cannot be attributed to a placebo effect.
Selecting for the single disorder makes the participants, and results, comparable to those who are in typical pharmaceutical trials.
People searching for nutritional methods to manage their mood symptoms are likely to have had ineffective experience with medications, and perhaps be considered treatment resistant. While not representative of everyone with bipolar disorder it is possible that they are more difficult to treat, lending more weight to the clinical implications of these findings.
With the emergent evidence of the modest effect of pharmaceuticals and the growing evidence for the improving of mood symptoms using multinutrient formulas, this evidence provides a powerful case for further research with this type of intervention.
This brings to 6 the number of published articles demonstrating reproducibility and efficacy of the Truehope multinutrient formula.
Correspondence:
Bonnie J. Kaplan, Ph.D., Behavioural Research Unit, Alberta Children’s Hospital,
Tel: 1-403-955-7363; Fax: 1-403-955-2772;
Email:
[email protected]
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