Omega-3 EPA DHA levels in humans (& ADHD)
Omega-3 EPA DHA levels in humans (& ADHD)
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Omega3FattyAcids-HealthProfessional/
“Seafood varieties commonly consumed in the United States that are higher in EPA and DHA and lower in methyl mercury include salmon, anchovies, herring, shad, sardines, Pacific oysters, trout, and Atlantic and Pacific mackerel (not king mackerel, which is high in methyl mercury).”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4176556/
Omega-3 fatty acid blood level measurement can be performed in either plasma, serum, or red blood cell membranes. Measurements with clinical utility include the “Omega-3 Index” which is the percent of fatty acids composed of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) + docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the EPA/AA (arachadonic acid) ratio, EPA quantitation, and DHA quantitation. Several laboratory methods are available and include gas chromatography, red blood cell membrane composition, and mass spectroscopy [6–8].
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Published: 20 November 2019
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-019-0633-0
High-dose eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) improves attention and vigilance in children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and low endogenous EPA levels
this has created numerous news articles, etc...i.e. - https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/327083.php#1
Omega-3 fish oil supplements can improve attention in some youths with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a new study.
A new study finds that for some youths with ADHD, omega-3 supplements are just as good as medication.
In the new study, scientists at King's College London in the United Kingdom and China Medical University in Taichung, Taiwan, investigated the effect of omega-3 fish oil supplements on cognitive function in youths with ADHD.
The investigation took the form of a randomized controlled trial and involved 92 youths with ADHD whose ages ranged from 6 to 18 years.
For 12 weeks, the youths received either high doses of the omega-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) or a placebo.
The results showed that of the participants who received the supplement, those who had the lowest levels of EPA in their blood showed improved focused attention and vigilance.
However, no such improvements occurred in participants whose blood levels of EPA were normal or high.
The research also identified some adverse consequences of taking omega-3 supplements. Individuals with high blood levels of EPA who took the supplement showed a rise in impulsivity.
The researchers suggest that these results point to a need for psychiatrists to take a personalized medicine approach when treating youths with ADHD.
"The omega-3 supplements only worked in children that had lower levels of EPA in their blood, as if the intervention was replenishing a lack of this important nutrient," says senior study author Carmine M. Pariante, who is a professor in the Department of Psychological Medicine at King's College London.
He and his colleagues warn that the findings should not be a reason for parents and carers to start giving youths omega-3 supplements without first consulting a doctor.
--*************just gathering some info and reviewing...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25181335
2014
Clin Psychol Rev. 2014 Aug;34(6):496-505. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2014.05.005. Epub 2014 Jun 2.
Omega-3 fatty acid and ADHD: blood level analysis and meta-analytic extension of supplementation trials.
Hawkey E, Nigg JT
Abstract
Interest in the value of omega-3 (n-3) fatty acid supplementation for treatment of ADHD remains high. No prior meta-analysis has examined whether ADHD is associated with alterations in blood lipid levels and meta-analyses of supplementation have reached conflicting conclusions.
METHODS:
We report two new meta-analyses. Study 1 examined blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids in relation to ADHD. Study 2 examined a larger sample of randomized intervention trials than previously reported.
RESULTS:
Study 1 included 9 studies (n=586) and found lower overall blood levels of n-3 in individuals with ADHD versus controls (g=0.42, 95% CI=0.26-0.59; p<.001). Study 2 included 16 studies (n=1408) and found that n-3 supplementation improved ADHD composite symptoms; using the best available rating and reporter (g=0.26, 95% CI=0.15-0.37; p<.001). Supplementation showed reliable effects on hyperactivity by parent and teacher report, but reliable effects for inattention only by parent report.
CONCLUSIONS:
Omega-3 levels are reduced in children with ADHD. Dietary supplementation appears to create modest improvements in symptoms. There is sufficient evidence to consider omega-3 fatty acids as a possible supplement to established therapies. However it remains unclear whether such intervention should be confined to children with below normal blood levels.
Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
KEYWORDS:
ADHD; Intervention; Meta-analysis; Omega−3; Polyunsaturated fatty acids; Supplementation
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12442909
2002
The importance of the ratio of omega-6/omega-3 essential fatty acids.
Abstract
Several sources of information suggest that human beings evolved on a diet with a ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFA) of approximately 1 whereas in Western diets the ratio is 15/1-16.7/1. Western diets are deficient in omega-3 fatty acids, and have excessive amounts of omega-6 fatty acids compared with the diet on which human beings evolved and their genetic patterns were established. Excessive amounts of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and a very high omega-6/omega-3 ratio, as is found in today's Western diets, promote the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, whereas increased levels of omega-3 PUFA (a low omega-6/omega-3 ratio) exert suppressive effects. In the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, a ratio of 4/1 was associated with a 70% decrease in total mortality. A ratio of 2.5/1 reduced rectal cell proliferation in patients with colorectal cancer, whereas a ratio of 4/1 with the same amount of omega-3 PUFA had no effect. The lower omega-6/omega-3 ratio in women with breast cancer was associated with decreased risk. A ratio of 2-3/1 suppressed inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and a ratio of 5/1 had a beneficial effect on patients with asthma, whereas a ratio of 10/1 had adverse consequences. These studies indicate that the optimal ratio may vary with the disease under consideration. This is consistent with the fact that chronic diseases are multigenic and multifactorial. Therefore, it is quite possible that the therapeutic dose of omega-3 fatty acids will depend on the degree of severity of disease resulting from the genetic predisposition. A lower ratio of omega-6/omega-3 fatty acids is more desirable in reducing the risk of many of the chronic diseases of high prevalence in Western societies, as well as in the developing countries, that are being exported to the rest of the world.
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- Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2018 Mar;27(3):377-384. doi: 10.1007/s00787-017-1058-z. Epub 2017 Oct 5.
A double-blind placebo-controlled randomised trial of omega-3 supplementation in children with moderate ADHD symptoms.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
Clinical trials and inconclusive meta-analyses have investigated the effects of omega-3 supplements in children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). We performed a randomised placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids.METHODS:
Children aged 6-15 years with established diagnosis of ADHD were randomised 1:1 to receive either supplements containing docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) or a placebo for 3 months. Psychotropic or omega-3-containing treatments were not authorised during the study. The primary outcome was the change in the Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Rating Scale version 4 (ADHD-RS-IV). Other outcomes included safety, lexical level (Alouette test), attention (Test of Attentional Performance for Children-KiTAP), anxiety (48-item Conners Parent Rating Scale-Revised-CPRS-R), and depression (Children's Depression Inventory-CDI).RESULTS:
Between 2009 and 2011, 162 children were included in five French child psychiatry centres. The mean age was 9.90 (SD 2.62) years and 78.4% were boys. The inclusion ADHD-RS-IV at was 37.31 (SD 8.40). The total ADHD-RS-IV score reduction was greater in the placebo group than in the DHA-EPA group: -19 (-26, -12) % and -9.7 (-16.6, -2.9) %, respectively, p = 0.039. The other components of the Conners score had a similar variation but the differences between groups were not significant. Two patients in the DHA-EPA group and none in the placebo group experienced a severe adverse event (hospitalisation for worsening ADHD symptoms).CONCLUSION:
This study did not show any beneficial effect of omega-3 supplement in children with mild ADHD symptoms. --**********************************
- Neuropsychopharmacology. 2015 Sep;40(10):2298-306. doi: 10.1038/npp.2015.73. Epub 2015 Mar 19.
Reduced Symptoms of Inattention after Dietary Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation in Boys with and without Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.
Abstract
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common child psychiatric disorders, and is often treated with stimulant medication. Nonpharmacological treatments include dietary supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids, although their effectiveness remains to be shown conclusively. In this study, we investigated the effects of dietary omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on ADHD symptoms and cognitive control in young boys with and without ADHD. A total of 40 boys with ADHD, aged 8-14 years, and 39 matched, typically developing controls participated in a 16-week double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial. Participants consumed 10 g of margarine daily, enriched with either 650 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)/docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) each or placebo. Baseline and follow-up assessments addressed ADHD symptoms, fMRI of cognitive control, urine homovanillic acid, and cheek cell phospholipid sampling. EPA/DHA supplementation improved parent-rated attention in both children with ADHD and typically developing children. Phospholipid DHA level at follow-up was higher for children receiving EPA/DHA supplements than placebo. There was no effect of EPA/DHA supplementation on cognitive control or on fMRI measures of brain activity. This study shows that dietary supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids reduces symptoms of ADHD, both for individuals with ADHD and typically developing children. This effect does not appear to be mediated by cognitive control systems in the brain, as no effect of supplementation was found here. Nonetheless, this study offers support that omega-3 supplementation may be an effective augmentation for pharmacological treatments of ADHD (NCT01554462: The Effects of EPA/DHA Supplementation on Cognitive Control in Children with ADHD; http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01554462).
--*************************- J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2011 Oct;50(10):991-1000. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2011.06.008. Epub 2011 Aug 12.
Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation for the treatment of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptomatology: systematic review and meta-analysis.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
Several studies have demonstrated differences in omega-3 fatty acid composition in plasma and in erythrocyte membranes in patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) compared with unaffected controls. Omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties and can alter central nervous system cell membrane fluidity and phospholipid composition. Cell membrane fluidity can alter serotonin and dopamine neurotransmission. The goal of this meta-analysis was to examine the efficacy of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in children with ADHD.METHOD:
PubMed was searched for randomized placebo-controlled trials examining omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in children with ADHD symptomatology. The primary outcome measurement was standardized mean difference in rating scales of ADHD severity. Secondary analyses were conducted to determine the effects of dosing of different omega-3 fatty acids in supplements.RESULTS:
Ten trials involving 699 children were included in this meta-analysis. Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation demonstrated a small but significant effect in improving ADHD symptoms. Eicosapentaenoic acid dose within supplements was significantly correlated with supplement efficacy. No evidence of publication bias or heterogeneity between trials was found.CONCLUSION:
Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation, particularly with higher doses of eicosapentaenoic acid, was modestly effective in the treatment of ADHD. The relative efficacy of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation was modest compared with currently available pharmacotherapies for ADHD such as psychostimulants, atomoxetine, or α(2) agonists. However, given its relatively benign side-effect profile and evidence of modest efficacy, it may be reasonable to use omega-3 fatty supplementation to augment traditional pharmacologic interventions or for families who decline other psychopharmacologic options.
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