Children diagnosed with ADHD have lower blood levels of omega-3s.In a study of nearly 200 schoolchildren, those who ate a diet low in omega-3s had a 31 percent higher risk of being diagnosed with ADHD. Eating fewer omega-3s increases the risk of developing ADHD.The Power of Omega-3s to Affect the ADHD Brainįrom prevention to treatment, omega-3s play a key role in ADHD. There have been more studies conducted on the link between ADHD and omega-3s than on any other nutrient. Little-recognized by doctors but not by scientists. This double whammy - a barrage of omega-6s and a paucity of omega-3s - is a little-recognized factor in the symptoms of ADHD. Today, we eat a diet with the ratio of 15 to 1. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate a diet with a ratio of about 2 to 1 omega-6s to omega-3s. Omega-3s also protect the brain by decreasing low-grade inflammation, the chronic cellular fire that can singe brain cells.īottom line: A deficiency of omega-3s is bad news for a child’s or adult’s brain. In short, just about every aspect of neurotransmission - the movement of information from brain cell to brain cell that supports every thought, emotion, and action - is affected by omega-3s. There are fewer synapses, the bridges between neurons.Dendrites, the branching extensions that channel messages into and out of neurons, make fewer branches.Cellular receptors for the neurotransmitter dopamine become malformed, which results in lower dopamine levels.Neurons make less serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps control mental activity and mood.The outer covering (membrane) of brain cells (neurons) degenerates.But omega is also the Greek word for great-because when enough omega-3 is doing its work, it does a great job of protecting your brain. Both fatty acids are omega-3s, a chemical label indicating the placement of carbon atoms in a fat molecule. Fatty fish and fish oil supply two of the most important essential fatty acids for your brain: EPA, or eicosapentaenoic acid and DHA, or docosahexaenoic acid. Specifically, it depends on essential fatty acids (EFA), the building blocks of fat. Sixty percent of your brain is composed of fat - which means that your brain depends on a steady supply of dietary fat for its health and wellbeing. The reason: Omega-3 fatty acids really do help brains, particularly ADHD ones, function better. ![]() And why they also recommend that people with “impulse control disorders,” like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), supplement their daily diets with at least 1 gram of fish oil. There’s a reason why the American Psychiatric Association recommends that every man, woman, and child in America eat fish - particularly fatty fish, like salmon and tuna - two or more times a week.
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