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. 2020 Aug 27:9:e1690.
doi: 10.31661/gmj.v9i0.1690. eCollection 2020.

Whey Protein (Ma'aljobon) as a Complementary Therapy for Treatment of Attention-deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A Randomized Open-label Controlled Clinical Trial

Zeinab Mostajeran  1 , Seyed Hamdollah Mosavat  2   3 , Mostafa Najafi  4 , Majid Emtiazy  5 , Mohammad Hashem Hashempur  6   7
Affiliations

Whey Protein (Ma'aljobon) as a Complementary Therapy for Treatment of Attention-deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A Randomized Open-label Controlled Clinical Trial

Zeinab Mostajeran et al. Galen Med J. .

Abstract

Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common, chronic, neurodevelopmental disorder that manifests in childhood with symptoms of hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity. Ma'aljobon (a kind of whey protein) that is derived from milk during cheese producing process is a popular dietary traditional product supposed to provide immune modulation and prevent neuropsychiatric disorder. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of ma'aljobon in management of Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Materials and methods: In this open-label randomized, double arm, and controlled clinical trial, sixty four patients with ADHD who referred to out-patient child and adolescent clinic of Khorshid Hospital of Isfahan, Iran, were randomly assigned in the intervention group (ma'aljobon 25 g once daily plus standard conventional treatment (SCT)) or control group (SCT only) for a period of 8 weeks. Scores of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and Conners' Continuous Performance Test (CPT) were set as the outcome measures.

Results: Parent reported hyperactivity scale of SDQ showed a significant decrease in the intervention group compared to the control group (P=0.04). However, no significant between groups differences were observed in other scales of parent-reported SDQ. Also, according to the results of CPT, there was a significant improvement in the intervention group regarding attention and focus score (P=0.01).

Conclusion: Ma'aljobon might be considered as a complementary remedy for improving hyperactivity, attention and focus of children with ADHD. However, further researches with larger sample size and longer duration should be done for achieving more reliable results.

Keywords: Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; Complementary Therapies; Integrative Medicine; Traditional Persian Medicine; Whey Proteins.

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