Can Nutrition Help Children With ADHD?
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood disorders and can continue through adolescence and adulthood. Symptoms include difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behavior, and hyperactivity (over-activity).
Inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity are the key behaviors of ADHD. It is normal for all children to be inattentive, hyperactive, or impulsive sometimes, but for children with ADHD, these behaviors are more severe and occur more often. To be diagnosed with the disorder, a child must have symptoms for 6 or more months and to a degree that is greater than other children of the same age.
Currently, there are treatment alternatives, beyond medication that have successfully treated ADHD children that are supported by research evidence. Children afflicted with this disorder also tend to have more ear infections, asthma, headaches, dry skin, and eczema, compared to other children.
Authors Donald Rudin MD, and Clara Felix, wrote Omega-3 Oils: A Practical Guide (Avery 1996). Both Rudin and Felix believe ADD and the other conditions are due to omega-3 fatty acid deficiency, and are part of a modernization-disease syndrome.
Omega-3 fatty acid deficiency's link to ADHD has been confirmed by studies in which youngsters with ADHD, when compared with non-ADHD children had much lower blood levels of docosahexaenoic acid. This particular fatty acid is critical for normal brain function, eye function. Also, it plays a key role in the cerebral cortex (the portion of the brain responsible for reasoning and memory).
There are two essential fatty acids. Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids cannot be made in the human body, and must be obtained from the diet. The omega-6 fatty acids are distributed evenly in most tissues and easily obtained through food sources commonly found in the American diet, but omega-3 fatty acids are concentrated in a few tissues including the brain.
Due to their very low levels in the contemporary American diet, the majority of children are deficient in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acid deficiency most likely leads to behavioral problems in children, and perhaps adults as well. Adult Depression has been successfully treated with fish oils containing these fatty acids.
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