6533b854fe1ef96bd12aeb96

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Omega-3 Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Intake in Children with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder

María Isabel Martínez MartínezMilagros Fuentes-alberoOmar Cauli

subject

diet-deficientPhysiologyArticlelcsh:RC321-57103 medical and health sciencesFatty fish0302 clinical medicineNutrientchildrennutrientsMedicineADHD0501 psychology and cognitive scienceslcsh:Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatrychemistry.chemical_classificationomega-3 fatty acidsbusiness.industryGeneral Neuroscience05 social sciencesNeuronal GrowthEicosapentaenoic acidfish intakechemistryDocosahexaenoic acidAttention deficitbusinessLong chain030217 neurology & neurosurgery050104 developmental & child psychologyPolyunsaturated fatty acid

description

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 &lt

yearjournalcountryeditionlanguage
2019-05-23Brain Sciences
10.3390/brainsci9050120http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/brainsci9050120