Am J Psychiatry 1996 Sep;153(9):1219-21
Inositol treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
Fux M, Levine J, Aviv A, Belmaker RH
Ministry of Health Mental Health Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheva, Israel.
OBJECTIVE: Earlier studies reported that inositol, a simple polyol second messenger precursor, was effective in controlled trials for patients with depression and panic. In this study its effectiveness in obsessive compulsive disorder was investigated. METHOD: Thirteen patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder completed a double-blind, controlled crossover trial of 18 g/day of inositol or placebo for 6 weeks each. RESULTS: The subjects had significantly lower scores on the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale when taking inositol than when taking placebo. CONCLUSIONS: The authors conclude that inositol is effective in depression, panic, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, a spectrum of disorders responsive to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.
Adv Nutr Res 1982;4:107-41
The nutritional significance, metabolism, and function of myo-inositol and phosphatidylinositol in health and disease.
Holub BJ
Recent advances in nutritional and biochemical research have substantiated the importance of inositol as a dietary and cellular constituent. The processes involved in the metabolism of inositol and its derivatives in mammalian tissues have been characterized both in vivo and at the enzyme level. Biochemical functions elucidated for phosphatidylinositol in biological membranes include the mediation of cellular responses to external stimuli, nerve transmission, and the regulation of enzyme activity through specific interactions with various proteins. Inositol deficiency in animals has been shown to produce an accumulation of triglyceride in liver, intestinal lipodystrophy, and other abnormalities. The metabolic mechanisms giving rise to these latter phenomena have been extensively studied as a function of dietary inositol. Altered metabolism of inositol has been documented in patients with diabetes mellitus, chronic renal failure, galactosemia, and multiple sclerosis. A moderate increase in plasma and nerve inositol levels by dietary supplementation has been suggested as a means of treating diabetic neuropathy, although excessively high levels, such as are found in uremic patients, may be neurotoxic. A thorough consideration of the biochemical functions of inositol and a further characterization of various diseases with the aid of appropriate animal models may suggest a possible role for inositol and other dietary components in their prevention and treatment.
Altern Med Rev 1998 Dec;3(6):432-47
Inositol–clinical applications for exogenous use.
Colodny L, Hoffman RL
Pharmacy Services at Broward General Medical Center: 1600 S. Andrews Ave., Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316, USA.
Recent advances in nutritional and biochemical research have documented inositol as an important dietary and cellular constituent. The processes involved in inositol metabolism and its derivatives in the tissues of mammals have been characterized in vivo as well as at the enzymatic level. Biochemical functions defined for phosphatidylinositol in biological membranes include the regulation of cellular responses to external stimuli and/or nerve transmission as well as the mediation of enzyme activity through interactions with various specific proteins. Altered production of inositol has been documented in patients with diabetes mellitus, chronic renal failure, galactosemia, and multiple sclerosis. Inositol has been reported to be effective in treating central nervous system disorders such as depression, Alzheimer’s disease, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. It has documented benefit for use in pediatric respiratory depression syndrome. In addition, recent studies have evaluated its usefulness as an analgesic. Inositol has been studied extensively as potential treatment to alleviate some negative effects associated with lithium therapy. The use of inositol in pregnant women remains controversial. Although its benefit in preventing neural tube defects in embryonic mice is documented, the risk of inducing uterine contractions limits its usefulness in pregnancy.