Antioxidants don't help Down syndrome

EXETER, England, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- Giving antioxidants or folinic acid did not improve cognitive development in children with Down syndrome, a study in England finds.

The study, published in the British Medical Journal, found supplementing the diets of babies with either antioxidants or with folinic acid -- one of the forms of folate found naturally in foods -- or with both did not improve language or psychomotor development any more than giving a placebo.

In the study, 156 Down syndrome babies -- all about 7 months old from several sites in England -- were split into four groups. One group was given a daily dose of antioxidants, one folinic acid, one a combination of antioxidants and folinic acid, and one a placebo. All the supplements were given in a powder that could be mixed with food or drink. After 18 months, the cognitive abilities of the children still in the study were assessed.

Since the study could provide no evidence to support the use of antioxidant or folinic acid supplements in children with Down syndrome, the authors said in a statement that parents who choose to give supplements to their children need to weigh their hope of unproved benefits against potential adverse effects from high dose, prolonged supplementation.