Definite proof that EPA has a positive effect on attention and behaviour

Your child's diet can have a major impact on the way he/she behaves, his/her ability to concentrate and his/her reading and writing skills. The right diet can even enhance your child's IQ and have a positive effect on attention problems, dyslexia and hyperactivity.

Especially the correct balance between Omega-3 and Omega-6 in the brain is of crucial importance. It has been known for some time that EPA and DHA, the two main Omega-3 fatty acids, are vital for the successful functioning of the brain. A recent study in Sweden involving children with ADHD provided crystal-clear proof with respect to the consumption of pure EPA.

Many researchers have been convinced for a long time that the significant increase in the number of people suffering from depression, memory problems, schizophrenia and ADHD is caused by our unhealthy Western diet, which is rich in soy, corn, sunflower and groundnut oils and consequently contains too many Omega-6 fatty acids and barely any Omega-3 fatty acids.

Intelligence

Dr. Crawford of the Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition even claims that the development of the human brain six million years ago - and consequently man's intelligence - is almost exclusively due to the availability of large quantities of DHA and EPA in the human diet. When monkeys decided to abandon their tree based existence, started to walk upright and reached sea shores, they also started to eat fish.

And, as we know, fish is rich in the Omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA. According to Dr. Crawford this also explains why the brain of a dolphin, a mammal which survives on a diet of oily fish, weighs on average 1.8 kilo, whereas the brain of a zebra, a mammal with a weight similar to a dolphin, only weighs 350 grams.

Attention problems and aggression

DHA and EPA affect both behaviour and intelligence. Several studies have already demonstrated a link between Omega-3 deficiency and aggressive behaviour.Countries with a diet high in oily fish have lower depression, suicide and murder rates. Furthermore, this does not just affect adults, but also children. The balance in the Omega-6/Omega-3 ratio in the Western diet has been disrupted to such an extent that not only adults, but also many children have an Omega-3 deficiency.

Researchers claim that this is one of the main reasons for the increasing number of children suffering from ADHD. A study in Sweden, published in May this year, produced remarkable results in children with ADHD, who were given a daily supplement of PLUSEPA® for a period of 15 weeks.

PLUSEPA® is a fish oil supplement with a high dose of pure EPA, and no DHA. The study involved 92 children with 'combined type 3 ADHD' (i.e. children with both hyperactive/ impulsive behaviour and attention problems), some of whom also suffered from typical additional disorders such as dyspraxia, nervous ticks, anxiety and oppositional or defiant behaviour (aggression, ignoring signals of punishment, disobedience).

This prospective, randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind study was executed in eight Swedish research centres. Half the children were given 500 mg of pure ethyl-EPA each day; the other group received a placebo. After five weeks teachers already observed remarkable improvements in the behaviour of the children who were taking the EPA supplement, in particular with regard to attention problems.

After ten weeks improvements were still being recorded day in day out in the children who were taking pure ethyl-EPA. After the ten week period the response had reached its maximum level, but the improvement was maintained if the EPA supplement continued to be taken. A notable detail is that the teachers were the ones to detect the change for the better in the children. The medical establishment considers this more objective than findings reported by parents.

Significant improvements were recorded in two subgroups involving children with ADHD, those with additional oppositional behaviour and those with the least hyperactive/impulsive behaviour. Within a subgroup of 48 ADHD children with oppositional behaviour about half of the EPA users improved by at least 25%, whereas this rate was only observed in 9% of the placebo users. Within the subgroup of 44 ADHD children with the least hyperactive/impulsive behaviour, teachers detected at least 25% improvement in 36% of the EPA users and 18% of the placebo users. Again a higher rate in the EPA group.

No doubt the parents of these children are breathing a sigh of relief, as ADHD children with a low level of hyperactivity/ impulsiveness react less favourably to treatment with Rilatine.

Remarkably, the children who reacted positively to EPA supplementation were found to have a low EPA content in their serum and the amount of Omega-3 in their red blood cells was too low in relation to Omega-6 prior to the study. After 15 weeks supplementation the optimum EPA values and Omega-6/Omega-3 ratio had been reached.

Sleeping better

EPA also contributes to an improvement in ADHD symptoms in another way. There are several indications that Omega-3 fatty acids such as EPA are important contributors to a good night's sleep. Research involving rats has shown that Omega-3 deficiency can disrupt the production of the sleep hormone melatonin and consequently affect the day/night rhythm.

Children with ADHD who are deficient in Omega-3 encounter more sleeping problems than children with a healthy fatty acid balance. Children who take Rilatine appear to sleep better when they also take an Omega-3 supplement. Bearing in mind that Rilatine is the drug most prescribed for children with ADHD and that the main reason for terminating this therapy is that Rilatine makes it more difficult to go to sleep, this is a significant factor.

Research conclusions :

Nowadays many children are deficient in Omega-3. For children suffering from ADHD and a low level of hyperactivity/ impulsiveness and/or an additional oppositional behavioural problem, a supplement of 500 mg EPA per day is an extremely valuable additional therapeutic option, particularly if they have an Omega-3 deficiency.

The results of the Swedish research with PLUSEPA® are published in the prominent Acta Paediatrica: Gustafsson PA, Birberg- Thornberg U, Duchén K, Landgren M, Malmberg K, Pelling H, Strandvik B, Karlsson T. EPA supplementation improves teacher rated behaviour and oppositional symptoms in children with ADHD. Acta Paediatr 2010 May 19.

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