Omega-3 Fatty Acids

[misty]

Fish oil may help teenage behaviour

Press Association
Monday March 27, 2006

Fish oil supplements can dramatically improve the behaviour of unruly teenagers, researchers claimed today.

Tests on children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) revealed their behaviour significantly improved after taking the supplements.

The study, which follows on from work last year, focused on a group of 12 to 15-year-olds with ADHD at a school in Co Durham.

A pre-trial assessment of the students at Greenfield Community Arts College in Newton Aycliffe showed that 94% had moderate or severe ADHD.

The students also had an inattention scale rating of 94% and a severe impulsivity rating of 89%.

After taking blended fish oil supplements for just three months there were significant improvements.

Severe ADHD reduced to 28% as did severe impulsivity, and severe inattention fell to just 17% among the students.

Madeleine Portwood, Durham local education authority's senior educational psychologist and lead researcher on the trials, welcomed the results. "These trials were undertaken with a group of potentially vulnerable students with persistent behavioural difficulties and who were at risk of exclusion," she said.

"By taking the fatty acid supplement, those aspects of their behaviour which put them at risk of exclusion improved dramatically.

"With permanent school exclusions nationally having risen by 19% since 1999/2000, 68% of them among the 12 to 14-year-old age group, our most recent trials suggest a clear route to improvement."

The first natural oil supplement trials on 65 pre-school children, aged from 18 months to three years, was undertaken at a SureStart centre in Peterlee last year.

The results showed that while 47% of the children started with poor behaviour, by the end only 4% had behaviour rated as "poor" during the five-month trial. The research also claimed the supplement - a product known as "eye q smooth" - helped children concentrate and bond with their parents.

"This groundbreaking work with children in Co Durham has now shown the effects of dietary supplementation with children of all ages - from pre-school to secondary," Dr Portwood said.

"With ongoing studies in two further primary schools in the county, children, parents and educationalists here are supporting research which can help children not only in Durham, but also nationally and internationally." Only last week the medical benefits of eating oily fish were put under the spotlight as experts rowed over the extent of their health-giving properties.

Dining on mackerel, tuna, herring and other fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids has long been thought to reduce the risk of heart disease, strokes and some forms of cancer.

It is also believed to have an effect on children's brain development and anti-social behaviour.

However, a report published in the British Medical Journal threw doubt on the health promoting properties of omega-3.

Researchers at the University of East Anglia analysed 89 studies on the subject and found little evidence to back claims of reduced death rates.

education.guardian.co.uk/pupilbehaviour/story/0,,1740806,00.html



Here more on the study of teenagers.

The trial was open and that the participants were aware that they were taking the fish oils. The results are to be published in the book series Nutrition and Health.

The supplement, provided by Equazen Nutraceuticals, was derived from high-EPA marine fish oil and virgin evening primrose oil (GLA). The eyeq capsules formulation contained Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), Docosahexaenioc acid (DHA), GLA, and vitamin E.

Volunteers took six capsules per day, equal to 500 mg of EPA.

The mechanism behind the supplement's effect seems to be specific to the type of omega oil. (EPA) is proposed to function by increasing blood flow in the body. It is also suggested to affect hormones and the immune system, both of which have a direct effect on brain function.

Docosahexaenioc acid (DHA), on the other hand, is involved in the membrane of ion channels in the brain, making it easier for them to change shape and transit electrical signals.

www.foodnavigator.com/news/ng.asp?n=66694-omega-epa-adhd

This product is not yet available in the US.

[misty]

I "Borrowed" this from Millermom. One of the mods told me I could "Borrow" info to post here if I see something pertinant & I think this is pertinate to add here.

Antioxidants help protect fatty acids in the body and aid the incorporation of those fatty acids into the cell membranes. When taking fish oil you will need antioxidant protection to fight against fat becoming rancid in the body caused by oxidation. Oxidative stress can damage fats and its target is the brain.

There are many antioxidants that can help with this but I would like to list my personal favorites and tell you why they are so important.

First is Lipoic Acid
Unlike any other antioxidant, it is both fat and water soluble because of its unique chemical structure. It is also the only antioxidant that can recycle or regenerate itself as well as some others at the same time (vitamin C & vitamin E).

Next on the list is Vitamin E
This vitamin is fat soluble and remains within the lipid-rich cell membranes protecting the omega-3's in the brain.

Along with these I would have to include Vitamin C
This vitamin is water soluble and diffuses into the watery center of the cell (the cytoplasm) and the fluid surrounding the cell.

The combo of C & E may be surperior to either one alone. Vitamin C regenerates any oxidized Vitamin E. These vitamins have very different but complementary chemical properties.

It is my opinion based on the above that these are superior and should be included in a treatment plan to help with brain function, especially when taking omega-3 fish oil.


Grape seed extract is an excellent antioxidant...according to some experts, it might even be better than Vitamin C! I don't know about that, but I do know that it has high flavonoid content, and has some other special benefits of well. Chief among these is its ability to cross the blood/brain barrier. Because it can do this, it is capable of scavenging free radicals that are assaulting the brain. It can also improve blood flow and reduct the risk of heart attack and stroke. Also effective at this is pycnogenol (an extract from pine bark). Normally the recommended dose of grape seed extract is 100mg daily of a standardized extract (95% PCO standardized). You can read an overview of grape seed extract here:
www.rxlist.com/cgi/alt/grapeseed_faq.htm




If you want to read more on fish oil and recent studies, here it a fish oil blog to bookmark.

www.fishoilblog.com/archives/fish_oil_and_add_adhd/

There is lots of information out on the web now about fish oil. I will be sure to report on any brand new study coming out though. So check here for that in the coming months.

[misty]

Parents to test behaviour effects of Omega-3

By Stephen Daniells

12/May/2006 - Children may soon benefit from less moody parents if a newly launched trial with omega-3 fatty acids is successful, adding to the list of studies linking fish oils to behaviour and cognitive function.

Studies reporting positive effects of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation have been increasing with benefits shown for children with learning difficulties, behavioural problems or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The studies have mostly focused on young children and teens, but now researchers from essential fatty acids company, Efamol, will study the effects on parents.

“This is the first study of its kind to look at the effects of omega-3 on parents,” said study advisor, Dr Alexandra Richardson, from the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics at Oxford University.

“Previous studies involving children have shown that omega-3 fatty acids can have a beneficial effect on conditions such as ADHD and dyslexia. We now know that these conditions can run in families so it's likely that many parents are suffering too,” explained Richardson.

Yorkshire-based company Efamol is coordinating the study, and parents will receive daily supplements of their Efalex fatty acid supplement, a blend of extracted tuna fish oil and Evening Primrose Oil. Parents have the choice of either capsules or liquid products, and Efamol's research director Peter Clough told NutraIngredients.com that the active dose of these supplements would be about 600 mg of DHA, 134 mg of EPA, and 120 mg of GLA per day.

The study will be performed with 20 parents of children from Ashbrow Children's Centre in Huddersfield and will last for four months. Dr. Clough said that no interim analysis will take place, but parents will be assessed at the end of the supplementation period using two internationally accepted questionnaires – the Profile of Mood State (PODS) and the Connors Adult ADHD Rating Scale (CAARS).

Evidence of the public awareness of recent positive results on cognitive function can be found with Ashbrow's headteacher, Dora Plant, who said that professionals at the school were becoming more aware and knowledgeable about the reported benefits of omega-3 fatty acids.

“I have read that depletion of essential fatty acids takes place during pregnancy and as a result of each subsequent birth. To counteract this reduction, a very good diet is important. This is not an easy option for busy parents but without it, parents may experience mood swings and/or depression, which can have an adverse effect on family life. It therefore seemed logical to focus on parents in an attempt to break the cycle,” said Plant.

Clough said that Efamol was also in the process of conducting nine other trials in hospitals and universities for a range of conditions including inflammation, skin, and other cognitive function.

The mechanism behind the supplement's effect on cognitive function seems to be specific to the type of omega oil. Docosahexaenioc acid (DHA) is said to be involved in the membrane of ion channels in the brain, making it easier for them to change shape and transit electrical signals.

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is proposed to function by increasing blood flow in the body. It is also suggested to affect hormones and the immune system, both of which have a direct effect on brain function.

www.foodnavigator.com/news/ng.asp?n=67649-efamol-omega-behaviour

[misty]

This article is about the importance of the taste of fish oil to children and getting them to accept it. The brands they are taste testing are in the UK about 3 are available in the US.

However it does briefly mention a new study which I hope we'll be hearing more about.

www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/dietfitness.html?in_article_id=389362&in_page_id=1798&in_a_sour ce=

I always say taste test it yourself. Don't just expect them to take it as the taste could be very disagreeable.


Fish Oil Shows Promise for Type II Diabetes and Bodybuilders!
June 14, 2006 · Category: Fitness, Sports and Athletic Uses, Diabetes Treatment

A recent fish oil study out of Texas A&M found that fish oil improved the ability of muscle cells to take up glucose, or blood sugar, in the presence of insulin. This is good news for those with Type II Diabetes because Type II Diabetes is a condition where cells resist insulin and therefore are unable to take up glucose. Furthermore, fish oil was shown to “improve cell viability, a measure of cellular metabolic activity.”

What effect would this have for strength training and bodybuilding? I obviously can’t say for sure, but it seems to me like getting nutrients to muscles more rapidly would enable those cells to function better, thus enabling you to lift more weight and recover more rapidly. Any thoughts?

www.fishoilblog.com/benefits/fish-oil-shows-promise-for-type-ii-diabetes-and-bodybuilders.php



Fish Oil is a Miracle from God.”
May 31, 2006 · Category: Depression Treatment and Relief, ADD / ADHD, Success Stories

Melissa, one of our readers, wrote in to tell us how this heaven-sent health supplement was her salvation from ADHD:

I’ve suffered serious depression and ADHD since I was a teenager. Of course, all my life, my diet was junk food, fast food, comfort food… I’ve tried Ritalin, Paxil, Prozac and none have helped. I decided, since reading some research on Omega-3’s to go ahead and try changing my diet to add more tuna, salmon, and once in a while a can of sardines.

I noticed an immediate difference within days.. You know, over the years, I believe I’ve really deprived my body of what it needs, but everyone’s body has different needs. I am just happy to have found them out. Fish Oil is a miracle from God.

Thanks for your story, Melissa! You’re not the only one that thinks fish oil is a miracle. Dr. Barry Sears, founder of the Zone Diet, said that, “High-dose pharmaceutical grade fish oil is as close to a medical miracle as we will see in the 21st century!”

Others inspired by this story can read more on this site about using fish oil to treat ADD/ADHD as well as using fish oil to treat depression.

www.fishoilblog.com/benefits/fish-oil-is-a-miracle-from-god.php

[misty]

** The Benefits of Fatty Acid Supplementation on Children's Academics & Behavior **

Although medication treatment is helpful for an estimated 70 to 90% of children with ADHD, the development of effective alternative treatments is important for several reasons. First, even for children who respond well to medication, there often remain residual difficulties that need to be addressed. Second, some children experience intolerable side effects that preclude the ongoing use of meds. Finally, most studies documenting the beneficial effects of stimulant medication treatment are relatively short-term, and data showing that stimulant medication improves the long-term prognosis for children with ADHD is still scarce.

Dietary supplementation of long-chain fatty acids as an intervention for ADHD has generated considerable interest in recent years. Certain highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs) are known to play an important role in many aspects of physical health, and may also play a role in a wide range of neuro-developmental and psychiatric conditions. For example, children with ADHD have been shown in several studies to have low blood levels of HUFAs. Because HUFAs are important for healthy brain development and functioning, some researchers have suggested that increasing HUFA levels via dietary supplements could enhance brain functioning and reduce ADHD symptoms.

In a prior issue of Attention Research Update - www.helpforadd.com/2002/june.htm - I reviewed 2 studies examining the impact of fatty acid supplementation on ADHD symptoms. In the first study, 63 children who were being treated effectively with stimulant medication were randomly assigned to receive Docasahexaenoic acid (DHA, a type of long-chain fatty acid) or a placebo over a 4-month period. Computerized tests of attention and parents' ratings of children's ADHD symptoms did not differ for treatment vs. placebo groups at 4 months; the authors interpreted this as evidence against the benefit of fatty acid supplementation for children with ADHD.

A problem with this conclusion, however, is that participants remained on medication during the trial. Because these children were all positive medication responders, their symptoms would already have been substantially reduced, thus making it difficult to demonstrate additional benefits of an additional intervention. In children with ADHD who were not being treated with meds, however, DHA supplementation might provide benefits that could not be detected here.

In the second study previously reviewed, 41 8-12 year-old children with developmental dyslexia were randomly assigned to receive either HUFA supplementation, containing both omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, or an identical-looking placebo. None had been formally diagnosed with ADHD, although all had above-average scores for high levels of ADHD based on parent responses to the Conners Rating Scale. After 12 weeks, children receiving active treatment had significantly lower ratings for inattention and global ADHD symptoms than children who had received the placebo. Average scores for treated children now fell towards the upper end of the "normal" range while average scores for children in the placebo group remained elevated. The degree to which the results would generalize to children carrying a formal diagnosis of ADHD was not clear.

At the time, my overall conclusion on the effects of fatty acid supplementation on children's ADHD symptoms was the following:

"At this point in our knowledge, it seems premature to conclude either that fatty acid supplementation has no benefits for children with ADHD, or that such benefits are clearly established. Hopefully, research will soon be available that will permit a more definitive evaluation."

A study published in the May 2005 issue of Pediatrics (Richardson, A.J., et al. The Oxford-Durham Study: A randomized, controlled trial of dietary supplementation with fatty acids in children with developmental coordination disorder, Pediatrics, 115, 1360-1366) provides important new data on this interesting issue. This study was conducted in England, and involved 117 5-12 year old children - about one-third were girls - diagnosed with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). Many of these children had elevated levels of ADHD symptoms, although they were not formally diagnosed with ADHD as part of the study.

DCD involves specific impairments of motor coordination that interferes significantly with a child's academic achievement and/or activities of daily living. DCD is believed to affect approximately 5% of children, and frequently overlaps with ADHD dyslexia. Manifestations of the disorder in school-age children frequently include difficulties with the motor aspects of handwriting, playing ball, assembling puzzles, etc. In the school setting, children with DCD frequently struggle with written language and/or problems with organizational skills and attention. Thus, although this is a different disorder from ADHD, children with DCD experience many similar problems in school.

Participants were randomly assigned to receive dietary fatty acid supplementation treatment or a placebo. The initial assignment to treatment vs. placebo lasted for 3 months. At the end of 3 months, those in the treatment group continued to receive fatty acid supplementation for 3 additional months while children who had been receiving placebo were switched to active treatment as well.

Active treatment was a supplement containing 80% fish oil and 20% evening primrose oil in gelatin capsules. The daily dose of 6 capsules (2 capsules in the early morning, at lunch, and in the late afternoon provided both omega-3 fatty acids (Dose received: 558 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid and 174 mg of docosahexaenoic acid) , omega-6 fatty acids (Dose received: 60 mg of y-linoleic acid), plus vitamin E (Dose received: 9.6 mg).

Note: Although this information reflects the doses used in the study, the authors specifically comment that the optical dosage and combination of fatty acids remains unknown and that additional studies are required to determined this. Placebo treatment consisted of olive oil capsules that were carefully matched to the active treatment in both appearance and flavor. Capsules were administered by teachers during the week and by parents on the weekend.


- MEASURES -

Several different measures were collected at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months to determine whether fatty acid supplementation improved children's functioning. First, teachers completed the Conners Rating Scale, a widely used behavior rating scale to assist in the assessment of ADHD and other behavioral/emotional problems in children. Children's reading and spelling achievement was assessed using a standardized measure of academic achievement. This measure of reading achievement focused on the ability to read single words and did not examine reading comprehension. Finally, motor functioning was assessed with the Movement Assessment Battery for Children.


- RESULTS -

The authors first compared children in the treatment and placebo groups after 3 months to determine whether fatty acid supplementation was associated with improvements in motor and academic functioning and with reductions in ADHD symptoms. Results of these analyses indicated the following:

* There was little change in children's motor skills and no indication that treated children showed greater improvement than children receiving placebo.

* Before treatment, average reading and spelling achievement scores were about 1 year below age level for children in both groups. After 3 months, children receiving fatty acid supplementation gained an average of 9.5 months in reading and 6.6 months in spelling. Children receiving placebo, in contrast, gained only 3.3 months in reading and 1.2 months in spelling. Thus, compared to the placebo group, gains made by treated children were highly significant.

* At baseline, the average score on the ADHD scale of the Conners was elevated in both groups. Scores for treated children showed a significant decline while scores for placebo children were essentially unchanged. Within the treated group, 16 children initially had scores on the ADHD scale in the clinically elevated range; after 3 months, 7 no longer fell in this range. Among children in the placebo group, only 1 of 16 children showed this same improvement.

Recall that after 3 months, children in the placebo group began receiving fatty acid supplementation and treated children continued receiving the supplement. Assessments of motor functioning, academic achievement, and ADHD symptoms were examined again 3 months later. Here is a summary of what was found:

* As before, gains in motor functioning were modest.

* Children who began receiving treatment showed an average gain of 13.5 months in reading and 6.2 months in spelling. Children who continued on active treatment continued to make substantial gains as well: 10.9 months in reading and 5.3 months in spelling.

* ADHD symptoms declined significant in children who began receiving supplementation. Scores continued to decline among children continuing on active treatment.


- SUMMARY AND IMPLICATIONS -

The results of this double-blind, placebo controlled study are exciting: among 117 children with developmental coordination disorders, dietary supplementation of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids was associated with substantial gains in reading and spelling as well as significant reductions in ADHD symptoms. Although these children were not diagnosed with ADHD, many had elevated levels of ADHD symptoms, and may have qualified for an ADHD diagnosis had they been formally evaluated.

The gains in children's reading and spelling achievement were particularly noteworthy: children who received 6 months of treatment showed an average gain of over 20 months and a spelling gain of about 12 months. Thus, despite not receiving any specific academic intervention during this time, they went from being about a year below age level to essentially catching up with their peers.

Although this is a very important finding, as with all exciting new findings, replicating this result in a second study would be very important to do. In addition, because the measure of reading achievement focused on single-word reading, the extent to which comparable gains may have occurred in children's reading comprehension is unknown. The authors also note that additional studies are needed to establish the optimal composition of fatty acid treatments - they used a 4:1 ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acids - as well as the optimal dosage. Because the measure of reading achievement focused on single-word reading, however, the extent to which comparable gains may have occurred in children's reading comprehension is unknown. This would be an important issue to examine in subsequent research. The authors also note that additional studies are needed to establish the optimal composition of fatty acid treatments - they used a 4:1 ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acids - as well as the optimal dosage.

It is important to emphasize that this was a carefully conducted and well-controlled study, in which neither participants, teachers, parents, or those administering the achievement tests were unaware of when children were receiving active supplementation and when they were receiving placebo. Because of these controls, the benefits reported can confidently be attributed to the effects of the fatty acid supplementation. As the authors note, however, the study was not designed on the possible mechanisms by which these effects were obtained (e.g., what specific changes in brain functioning were induced by the supplements that resulted in children's gains).

It is also important to emphasize that although many children in this sample of children with DCD showed elevated levels of ADHD symptoms, and that ADHD symptoms improved with treatment, participants in this study did not carry an ADHD diagnosis. Thus, the extent to which children with ADHD would benefit from this treatment approach is unclear, and, as noted above, a prior study of fatty acid supplementation in children with ADHD failed to find such benefits. In this study, however, children were already being managed effectively on medication, making additional gains hard to document, and only a single fatty acid was supplemented rather than both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids as was done here.

Given the extremely positive results of the current investigation, it would appear that new research on the impact of fatty acid supplementation on the behavior and academic functioning in children with ADHD would be extremely important to carry out. To my knowledge, the gains in academic achievement that were demonstrated here have not been reported in any prior study of ADHD interventions, and are truly exciting. Learning whether children with ADHD, many of whom struggle with academic performance, would also benefit from fatty acid supplementation should thus be a high research priority.