I saw this information on Dr. Sears’ website and thought it was pretty interesting. It is about DHA and how it can possibly work to help children with ADHD. His website isn’t the only one to be discussing this interesting development. The BBC did a special about it a bit ago too.
I have a friend Elizabeth in San Francisco that gives her 2 year old daughter a teaspoon of fish oil every morning. She convinced me to do the same (though I can’t remember what her argument was at the time), and now wonder if it had to do with ADHD…. Two words of caution: not all DHA supplements are alike. If you want to select one for your child make sure it is of the purest kind as some have high mercury levels and aren’t well regulated. Make sure that the oil has been purified. It will usually say so on the bottle. Also, confirm that you are getting a supplement meant for children and not adults. Two, if you are breastfeeding, you probably don’t need to give supplements as your milk already has high levels of DHA- but do some research yourself to make your decision.
Our brand of choice is Nordic Naturals for Children. I remember this was supposed to have one of lowest mercury levels of the supplements. I can’t find the resource for that now though! (But here is another resource that lists the best oils) I am including a photo of it so you can see what the bottle looks like. We bought it at Whole Foods. By the way, Birch loves the strawberry flavor and sits down in the morning in his chair waiting for it.
Here is the information from Dr. Sears: Studies have shown that children with ADHD tend to have low blood levels of DHA and arachidonic acid, two key brain fats. Perhaps this is why other studies have shown that children who have been breastfed are less likely to have ADHD, and the longer the period of breastfeeding, the less the likelihood of having ADHD. The reason seems to be that breastmilk is high in important fatty acids, such as DHA, GLA, and ALA, arachidonic acid, and others, but prior to 1997 most formulas contained none or little of these fatty acids. Studies at Purdue University in Indiana suggest that many boys with ADHD have low levels of the omega fatty acids DHA, GLA, and AA in their blood, and tended to have lower levels of ALA and LA precursors in their blood than boys without ADHD, suggesting that these children were unable to make the fatty acids their brain needs from the fats in their diet. The boys with ADHD who had the lowest levels of DHA, GLA, and AA, exhibited the most anxiety, impulsivity, hyperactivity and conduct disorders. The researchers suggested three possible explanations for their findings: the children’s diets were deficient in essential fatty acids, the children had a metabolic problem that prevented the body from converting dietary nutrients to essential fatty acids for the brain, or various lifestyle and dietary factors reduced the level of essential fatty acids available to the brain. For more information on ADD and ADHD from Dr. Sears website
Click Here.
This is from The Guardian in the UK.
Researchers who have studied the effects of fish oils say they are
most likely to have an impact on children whose difficulties are at
least in part due to disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, autism and dyspraxia (dyspraxics often have
difficulty carrying out complex, sequenced activities or may be mildly
clumsy). There is some scientific evidence that an imbalance of certain
fatty acids, which happen to be found largely in fish oils, may
contribute to many of these. Further studies have found that dyslexia
and the inattentiveness and impulsiveness associated with ADHD can be
improved by fish-oil supplements. A study into the effect of fish-oil
supplements on more than 100 dyspraxic children in Durham is nearing
completion.
There are some tell-tale signs that can indicate an
imbalance of Omega-3 fatty acids in the diet. Allergy-related
conditions such as eczema, asthma and hayfever are more common, as are
poor concentration, depression, excessive mood swings and undue
anxiety. Others with imbalances can experience difficulty getting to
sleep at night and visual disturbances when reading, such as words and
letters moving around.
Fish oils seem to help because they are
rich in a particular type of Omega-3 fatty acid called Eicosapentaenoic
acid (EPA), which is vital for the proper chemical functioning of the
brain, mediating hormones, the immune system and blood flow. Just how
EPA might be helping struggling children is poorly understood though.
At any rate, I thought all of this was worth looking into. Perhaps you might find it can help your child?