Abstract
Omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) play a central role in neuronal growth and in the development of the human brain, and a deficiency of these substances has been reported in children with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD). In this regard, supplementation with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids is used as adjuvant therapy in ADHD. Seafood, particularly fish, and some types of nuts are the main dietary sources of such fatty acids in the Spanish diet. In order to assess the effect of the intake of common foods containing high amounts of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, a food frequency questionnaire was administered to parents of children with ADHD (N = 48) and to parents of normally developing children (control group) (N = 87), and the intake of dietary omega-3 LC-PUFA, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), was estimated. Children with ADHD consumed fatty fish, lean fish, mollusks, crustaceans, and chicken eggs significantly less often (p < 0.05) than children in the control group. The estimated daily omega-3 LC-PUFA intake (EPA + DHA) was significantly below that recommended by the public health agencies in both groups, and was significantly lower in children with ADHD (p < 0.05, Cohen’s d = 0.45) compared to normally developing children. Dietary intervention to increase the consumption of fish and seafood is strongly advised and it is especially warranted in children with ADHD, since it could contribute to improve the symptoms of ADHD.
Highlights
There is a growing evidence that several mental disorders, they show an underlying genetic predisposition [1], are probably the product of an interplay between genetic susceptibility and environmental factors [2], of which inadequate nutrition may be a component [3,4]
Among the nutrients that have been consistently shown to be related to mental health and to different psychiatric disorders, mention must be made of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) [5,6,7]
In relation to body mass index (BMI), low weight was significantly more prevalent in the control group compared to the attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) group (p < 0.0001), while obesity was significantly more frequent in the ADHD group compared to the control group (p < 0.001) (Table 1)
Summary
There is a growing evidence that several mental disorders, they show an underlying genetic predisposition [1], are probably the product of an interplay between genetic susceptibility and environmental factors [2], of which inadequate nutrition may be a component [3,4]. The consumption of supplements containing omega-3 LC-PUFA has been shown to be an effective measure in addition to the administration of psychotropic drugs for treating several psychiatric diseases [9,10,11,12]. In this regard, it has been demonstrated that omega-3 LC-PUFA such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic. Brain Sci. 2019, 9, 120; doi:10.3390/brainsci9050120 www.mdpi.com/journal/brainsci. Brain Sci. 2019, 9, 120 acid (DHA) may be helpful in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) in children [13,14,15,16,17]. Whether the pathophysiology of ADHD may be linked to inadequate bioavailability of omega-3 LC-PUFA, and whether it may be counteracted by dietary supplementation or increased intake of foods containing large amounts of omega-3 LC-PUFA, has gained growing interest in part due to the increasing knowledge of the role of nutrition in psychiatric disorders and in ADHD [18,19,20]
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