New Zealand researchers recently published a study where they found that EMPowerplus may help alleviate stress and anxiety in children.
The researchers designed a multiple-baseline trial to see what effect micronutrients — EMPowerplus specifically — could have on children experiencing stress and anxiety 2–3 years after a traumatic event, in this case, the 2010 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand.
The 14 children (10 of whom had been formally diagnosed with anxiety disorders) were randomly assigned to one of 3 baseline groups: 1 week, 2 week, or 3 week. Each participant then took 8 capsules of EMPowerplus every day for 8 weeks.
What the researchers discovered was that anxiety decreased and overall functioning improved in most participants.
The researchers admit that given the open-label nature of the study, it’s impossible to eliminate the risk of a placebo effect. That being said, they also tried to mitigate the placebo effect with the multiple-baseline design:
The multiple-baseline design provides a control for placebo effects arising from entry into a treatment, contact with the researcher, and experience of the assessments, and the stability of most measures for most children in baseline argues against a placebo effect arising from these factors.
This is the 34th clinical trial to show that EMPowerplus has a positive effect on mental health, and it joins a growing body of research that is establishing a connection between positive mental health and nutrition in general.