Efficacy of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFA) in the Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Assareh, Marzieh; Ashtiani, R Davari; Khademi, Mojgan; Jazayeri, Shima; Rai, Alireza; Nikoo, Mohammadali

doi:10.1177/1087054712463962

Cited by 17 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 20 publications

(43 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Two recent studies [ 87 , 88 ] tested the efficacy of DHA + EPA + ω-6 PUFA with MPH over MPH monotherapy and came to similar negative results. Barragán et al [ 89 ] used a fatty acid supplementation that contained a higher ratio of EPA (558 mg/day) than DHA (174 mg/day) and some GLA (60 mg/day); on the contrary, Assareh et al [ 88 ] used a higher ratio of DHA (241 mg/day) than EPA (33 mg/day), together with 180 mg/day ω-6 PUFA. Barragán et al [ 89 ] observed a decreasing in ADHD symptoms in all treatment arms, with no superior effect of PUFA + MPH as compared to MPH monotherapy on ADHD symptoms.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Sample age ranged from 4 [ 75 ] to 18 [ 76 ] years. Among studies, different ω-3 PUFAs compositions were used as supplementation: EPA or DHA alone [ 72 , 77 ], EPA with DHA [ 75 , 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 , 87 ], EPA combined with DHA and other ω-3 PUFAs or ω-3 PUFAs [ 76 , 88 , 89 , 90 , 91 , 92 , 93 , 94 ], and, finally, short chain ω 3-PUFAs [ 95 , 96 ]. Two studies declared to have supplemented with ω-3 PUFAs alone [ 97 ] or in combination with ω-6 PUFA [ 98 ], without specifying which type of fatty acid.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The Role of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Developmental Psychopathology: A Systematic Review on Early Psychosis, Autism, and ADHD

Agostoni

Nobile

Ciappolino

et al. 2017

IJMS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this systematic review, we will consider and debate studies that have explored the effects of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in three major, and somehow related, developmental psychiatric disorders: Autism, Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity disorder and Psychosis. The impact of ω-3 PUFAs on clinical symptoms and, if possible, brain trajectory in children and adolescents suffering from these illnesses will be reviewed and discussed, considering the biological plausibility of the effects of omega-3 fatty acids, together with their potential perspectives in the field. Heterogeneity in study designs will be discussed in the light of differences in results and interpretation of studies carried out so far.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Developmental Psychopathology: A Systematic Review on Early Psychosis, Autism, and ADHD

Agostoni

Nobile

Ciappolino

et al. 2017

IJMS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Assareh et al, 2017 [35] 40 ADHD (30 males), ODD was present in 21 subjects. Age range: 6-12 (PUFA group: 9 ± 2 years; Placebo group 9.2 ± 2 years).…”

Section: Methodologiesmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Seven studies added vitamins to EPA and DHA [40,44,[47][48][49]52,53]; each of the seven provided vitamin E, whereas in Cornu et al added vitamins A and D [40]. Six studies allowed pharmacotherapy concomitant with PUFA supplementation [34][35][36][37]50,52], while two added to EPA and DHA supplementation with PS [46] or docosapentaenoic acid [52]. Although PUFAs represent now the most used supplementation in this field, there is too much heterogeneity around the specific PUFAs used.…”

Section: Cprs-rmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of Non-Pharmacological Supplementations in Children and Adolescents with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Critical Review

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder in children and adolescents, with environmental and biological causal influences. Pharmacological medication is the first choice in ADHD treatment; recently, many studies have concentrated on dietary supplementation approaches to address nutritional deficiencies, to which part of non-responses to medications have been imputed. This review aims to evaluate the efficacy of non-pharmacological supplementations in children or adolescents with ADHD. We reviewed 42 randomized controlled trials comprised of the following supplementation categories: polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), peptides and amino acids derivatives, single micronutrients, micronutrients mix, plant extracts and herbal supplementations, and probiotics. The reviewed studies applied heterogeneous methodologies, thus making it arduous to depict a systematic overview. No clear effect on single cognitive, affective, or behavioral domain was found for any supplementation category. Studies on PUFAs and micronutrients found symptomatology improvements. Peptides and amino acids derivatives, plant extracts, herbal supplementation, and probiotics represent innovative research fields and preliminary results may be promising. In conclusion, such findings, if confirmed through future research, should represent evidence for the efficacy of dietary supplementation as a support to standard pharmacological and psychological therapies in children and adolescents with ADHD.

show abstract

“…The second question asked what the clinical and cost effectiveness was for offering such supplements to young people with ADHD.² A systematic search of the literature identified 15 articles that met criteria for inclusion in looking at the clinical effects. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] No articles were included in answering the economic question. The evidence was of variable quality, and none showed any clinically relevant improvement in ADHD symptoms in the short, medium or long term.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

NICE ADHD addendum

Mortimer-Cawley¹,

Mushtaq²

2016

Prog. Neurol. Psychiatry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

T here continues to be considerable interest in the effect of diet on ADHD symptoms and it was not surprising that new evidence was found when the guidelines update team reviewed the effectiveness of 'few-food' diets and the impact this may have on current recommendations.² The guidelines update team asked two questions. They first looked at the clinical and cost effectiveness of elimination/restriction diets in children and young people with ADHD, and they looked at the clinical and cost effectiveness of polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation.For the first question, a systematic search of the literature identified only two articles that met the criteria and were included. There were no studies that met criteria for inclusion in answering the economic question of cost effectiveness of 'few food' diets. This evidence did favour the 'few food' diet, although the data were generally of low quality with major limitations. [3][4] The NICE guidelines process for reviewing evidence is rigorous and we have not questioned the validity of their findings. We have, however, done a further literature review to look for any new evidence that may have been published since the addendum was written. The same search criteria as used by NICE was completed and only RCTs and systematic reviews and literature published in the English language were included. Medline was used and the search was limited to studies from 2015 only. No further relevant studies were identified that could add to the evidence already included by NICE.With this in mind the current recommendation is to ask about foods or drinks that appear to influence hyperactive behaviour during clinical assessment of ADHD in children and young people, and if there is a clear link to ask parents to keep a food diary. If the diary supports evidence of a link, refer to a dietitian and ensure that parents are aware of the limited evidence about long-term effectiveness and potential harms to starting a 'few food' diet without specialist advice.New evidence was found for supplementation with polyunsaturated fatty acids. The second question asked what the clinical and cost effectiveness was for offering such supplements to young people with ADHD.² A systematic search of the literature identified 15 articles that met criteria for inclusion in looking at the clinical effects. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] No articles were included in answering the economic question. The evidence was of variable quality, and none showed any clinically relevant improvement in ADHD symptoms in the short, medium or long term. A further literature search was completed, as above, to look for any new evidence since the addendum was written. Three further relevant studies, 23-25 including one systematic review and meta-analysis, 23 were identified, which could not add to the evidence already included by NICE.The advice remains as previously stated in the NICE guidelines, that polyunsaturated fatty acid supplements should not be recommended for children and young peop...

show abstract

Efficacy of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFA) in the Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Abstract: The results did not support the efficacy of PUFA in the treatment of ADHD, and adding PUFAs to the therapeutic regimen of ADHD is not recommended at the moment.

Cited by 17 publications

References 20 publications

The Role of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Developmental Psychopathology: A Systematic Review on Early Psychosis, Autism, and ADHD

The Role of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Developmental Psychopathology: A Systematic Review on Early Psychosis, Autism, and ADHD

Use of Non-Pharmacological Supplementations in Children and Adolescents with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Critical Review

NICE ADHD addendum

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About