Is There An ADHD Fish Oil Link?
Is there someone in your family with ADHD? Fish oil may well provide an answer. Although it has not been conclusively proven it seems that using fish oil for ADHD relief may well be useful.
ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is estimated to affect around 7 percent of children in the US. Most are boys and around 70 percent of sufferers will progress to adulthood still suffering from ADHD. Omega 3 fatty acids have been shown to be important in the development of the fetal brain and also in reduction of the symptoms of depression and there is now evidence that using fish oil to treat ADHD may be worthwhile.
There are studies on ADHD sufferers that show that they have very low levels of the essential fatty acids known as Omega 3 fatty acids. The 2 most important of these are the Omega 3 fats called DHA and EPA. These are mainly found in fish and fish oil and can also be taken as fish oil supplements.
The Inflammation Research Foundation has recently concluded a study of 3 boys and 6 girls who were all previously diagnosed with ADHD symptoms. The symptoms include an inability to concentrate well on any individual past over a longer period of time and disruptive behaviour such as hyperactivity.
Over 8 weeks these children were given high doses of fish oil supplements containing Omega 3 fatty acids. Over that time the levels of the Omega 3 fatty acids DHA and EPA were monitored and other factors were also monitors which indicate the degree of their ADHD.
During the 8 weeks their levels of EPA and DHA increased significantly and the indicators of the degree of ADHD will sell. Their hyperactivity score fell to less than half, from 11 to 5. Their inattention school fell from 18 to 10. These are impressive results for sufferers of ADHD. Omega 3 supplementation seems to have worked to reduce their symptoms of ADHD.
It’s too early to say that using fish oil to treat ADHD is an adequate treatment regime, certainly as a stand-alone treatment. However it does seem that there is now clear evidence that using fish oil ADHD relief is well worth considering. There seems to be clearly between levels of Omega 3 and ADHD hyperactivity levels.
It is also not clear what is the appropriate dosage of fish oil supplements for ADHD sufferers. Dosage levels in the trial were quite high, higher than that recommended for the general population.
But it is clear from a massive body of evidence that just about all of this in the US should be taking Omega 3 fish oil supplements for general health, not just sufferers of ADHD. Omega 3 supplements benefit our health in a wide range of different ways including improving our mental state. Adequate levels of DHA and EPA do seem to impact on conditions such as depression and ADHD.
For a wide range of different reasons children with ADHD ought to be increasing their intake of Omega 3 essential fatty acids both to improve their general health and their ADHD.
Remember though that not all fish oil supplements are the same and that some have much higher levels of DHA and EPA than others do, and that therefore some offer much better value than others.
Visit my website to find out how compare the various Omega 3 fish oil supplements available.