Fish oils help children with ADHD

Wednesday 8th August 2007

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can benefit from daily fish oil supplements, research shows.

A study published in the Nutrition Journal found that children with ADHD who took 16 g of fish oil every day for two months showed less hyperactive, oppositional and defiant behaviour than other ADHD children.

Fish oils did not interfere with children's prescribed ADHD medication.

“This is an important study as it indicates when adequate levels of fish oil are added to the diet, significant behavioural changes can occur,” says study author Dr Barry Sears.

He adds that the growing epidemic of ADHD may be down to children’s diets being deficient in omega-3 fatty acids.

“Equally important is that supplementation with high-dose fish oil is synergistic with existing drugs, giving both the physician and parent new dietary approaches toward correcting this growing epidemic in our children.”

Nutrition Journal