Omega-3 Supplementation May Help Boys With ADHD
Dietary supplementation with margarine containing omega-3 fatty acids reduced inattention in boys with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and also in boys without ADHD, according to a study published in Neuropsychopharmacology.
“In line with recent meta-analyses, our results suggest that supplementation with omega-3 poly-unsaturated fatty acids may be beneficial in ADHD,” researchers wrote. “Moreover, our results indicate that typically developing children also benefit, showing the importance of omega-3 poly-unsaturated fatty acid intake during development in general.”
The study involved 40 boys with ADHD, age 8 to 14, and 39 typically developing boys matched for age, hand preference, and body mass index. In the double-blind randomized trial, participants daily consumed 10 g of margarine containing either 650 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) each or placebo over 16 weeks.
Boys who received EPA/DHA supplementation had improved parent-rated attention at the study’s end, researchers found. In addition, cheek cell sampling showed phospholipid DHA level was higher for children receiving EPA/DHA supplementation than placebo.
However, fMRI showed no effect of EPA/DHA supplementation on cognitive control or brain activity, researchers reported.
“This study provides new evidence that dietary supplementation using omega-3 poly-unsaturated fatty acids may be an effective augmentation of pharmacological treatments of ADHD,” researchers concluded. “This effect does not appear to be mediated by dopaminergic cognitive control networks, but may involve other systems implicated in ADHD, such as attention networks.”
—Jolynn Tumolo
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