Natural Remedies for ADHD – Omega-3 Fatty Acids

By Demi Sumler

 
For any child with ADHD, a nutritious diet has a favorable impact on their performance and abilities. It is possible that some children do not consume enough vitamins and minerals, some of which are crucial for the treatment and management of ADHD. For example, because your body cannot generate omega-3 fatty acids, you must obtain them through your diet. We’ll discuss further about the relationship between Omega-3 fatty acids and ADHD.

The use of natural supplements, including vitamin and mineral supplements, herbal remedies, and omega-3 fatty acids, in the treatment of ADHD has drawn a lot of attention. While most of these supplements have conflicting studies, there is evidence that suggests they may be beneficial for individuals with ADHD who are nutritionally deficient.

Although the most researched treatment for ADHD is stimulant medication, there is growing interest in using supplements as complementary and alternative medicine treatments for ADHD. These treatments are administered to replace/complement the use of conventional or mainstream medicines that come with less undesirable side effects, unlike alternative medicine or natural supplementation.
 

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

As mentioned, Omega-3 fatty acids are a necessary nutrient that your body cannot generate on its own. Instead, you can obtain them through diet. Nuts like walnuts, seeds like chia and flax, and fatty fish like tuna and salmon are examples of dietary sources. If it is challenging for your child to consume these foods, omega-3 dietary supplements such as fish oils with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are also available.

Both EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) are omega-3 fatty acids found in cold-water fish such as salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel, black cod, and bluefish. A vegetarian source of omega 3 is alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which the body may convert to EPA and DHA. Some preliminary study suggests that supplements containing fish oil may be more beneficial than DHA alone. The current research recommends taking an omega-3 supplement each day that has a significant amount of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).

It is common for kids with ADHD to be deficient in omega-3 fatty acids. Children with ADHD benefit from omega-3 supplements in terms of both clinical symptoms and cognitive function. The effectiveness of omega-3 supplements in the treatment of ADHD remains questionable despite research. Half of the studies found that omega-3 fatty acids had some positive effects, while the other half found negative responses. Some studies suggest that omega-3 supplements could help lessen the symptoms of ADHD, and others found that two of the most promising methods to lessen the symptoms of ADHD in kids were dietary changes and fish oil supplements.

Although previous studies in the treatment of ADHD vary and it is unclear whether omega-3 supplementation is helpful for ADHD symptoms, it may be worth looking into if the person has a deficiency, as results are shown to differ based on the individual.