Behaviour
Perhaps the most attention given to fish oils has been for their ability to improve brain function and behaviour. In one episode of Robert Winston’s “Child of Our Time”, the BBC series that follows the development of 25 children born in 2000, two children with different behavioural problems were given daily fish oils. Within 3 months, one of them had gone from uncommunicative and withdrawn to outgoing and sociable, and the other had lost almost all signs of his previous aggression.
ADHD
There is a wealth of studies that demonstrate the ability of the EPA and DHA in fish oil to improve ADHD symptoms such as hyperactivity, cognitive problems, anxiousness and shyness,1 as well as poor attention, impulsive behaviour.2 Children with ADHD have also been shown to have lower levels of EPA and DHA in their blood, as well as lower levels of arachidonic acid, the long chain omega 6 oil that is also needed for the brain. The study of 53 boys that highlighted this concluded that this may not be just due to deficiency in the diet, but that it could also be due to an inability to convert the parent form of omega 3 into EPA and DHA, and the parent form of omega 6 into AA, the longer chain forms used by the brain.3
Autism
Fish oil is a very popular supplement for children and adults on the autistic spectrum, and much has been written about its ability to benefit people with autism in a number of ways. An Egyptian study showed improvements in behaviour, concentration, motor skills and language,4 and a published case study reported improvements in anxiety, agitation and quality of life in an 11 year old given up to 540mg EPA daily for 8 weeks.5
Children with autism and Asperger’s have been shown to have lower levels of essential fatty acids, and have a higher omega 6 to omega 3 ratio.6 Omega 3 can be converted to substances that help to reduce inflammation in the body, by countering other substances produced from omega 6. There is therefore often a degree of chronic inflammation when the omega 6:3 ratio is too high. Inflammation of the brain and other tissue is an area of much interest for research into autism.
An interesting feature of autism, Asperger’s, ADHD and schizophrenia is an apparent sensory overload, which leads to extreme discomfort with sensations such as noise and touch. Most of us would filter out the majority of the sensations we receive from moment to moment, so as not to be overwhelmed by them. This is an adaptive process called sensorimotor gating, and studies have showed this to be impaired with people on the autistic spectrum or with schizophrenia.
A recent laboratory study found that DHA deficient mice also exhibited signs of sensory overload, or lack of sensorimotor gating. The scientists compared their startled reaction to a sudden loud noise, to how the mice reacted to the same noise when they were prepared for it by a softer warning sound. Usually the mice, and humans in the same situation, would flinch less when prepared for the noise, but DHA deficient mice flinched just the same as if they had been completely taken by surprise.7 This suggests that DHA helps our nervous system to adapt to sensory input, and filter out much of the unhelpful information we receive through our senses. This may also explain why some “savants” are able to recall incredible amounts of detail when, for example, drawing a picture or remembering dates and events.
For more information on how and why to use fish oils, see our newsletter: Fish oil – essential for hearts, brains and life itself.
- 1. Richardson, AJ and Montgomery, P. The Oxford-Durham study: a randomized, controlled trial of dietary supplementation with fatty acids in children with developmental coordination disorder. Pediatrics, Vol. 115, May 2005, pp. 1360-66
- 2. Sinn, N and Bryan, J. Effect of supplementation with polyunsaturated fatty acids and micronutrients on learning and behavior problems associated with child ADHD. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, Vol. 28, April 2007, pp. 82-91
- 3. Stevens, L J et al. Essential fatty acid metabolism in boys with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 62, No. 4, October 1995, pp. 761-68
- 4. Meguid, NA et al. Role of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in the Management of Egyptian Children with Autism. Clinical Biochemistry, Volume 41, Issue 3, p. 1044-1048, (2008).
- 5. Johnson, SM, and Hollander E. Evidence that Eicosapentaenoic Acid is Effective in Treating Autism. J Clin Psychiatry., Volume 64, Issue 7, p. 848-849, (2003).
- 6. Bell, JG et al. Essential Fatty Acids and Phospholipase A2 in Autistic Spectrum Disorders. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids., Volume 71, Issue 4, p. 201-204, (2004).
- 7. Fedorova , I et al. Deficit in Prepulse Inhibition in Mice Caused by Dietary n-3 Fatty Acid Deficiency; Behavioral Neuroscience, Vol. 123, No. 6.
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