Effect of docosahexaenoic acid-containing food administration on symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder - a placebo-controlled double-blind study.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation was able to ameliorate attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder(AD/HD) symptoms in AD/HD children.


METHODS
A placebo-controlled double-blind study with 40 AD/HD (including eight AD/HD-suspected) children of 6-12 y of age who were mostly without medication. Subjects of a DHA group (n=20) took active foods containing fish oil (fermented soybean milk, bread rolls and steamed bread; 3.6 g DHA/week from these foods) for 2 months, whereas those of a control group (n=20) took indistinguishable control foods without fish oil. The following items were measured at the start and end of the study: (1) attention deficit, hyperactivity and impulsivity (AD/HD-related symptoms according to DSM-IV criteria); (2) aggression assessed by both parents and teachers; (3) visual perception (finding symbols out of a table); (4) visual and auditory short-term memory; (5) development of visual-motor integration; (6) continuous performance; (7) impatience.


RESULTS
Changes in tests 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7 over time did not significantly differ between the two groups. However, visual short-term memory and errors of commission (continuous performance) significantly improved in the control group compared with the changes over time in the DHA group (P=0.02 and 0.001, respectively). Recalculation without AD/HD-suspected subjects (n=4 each group) showed similar P-values with regard to both measures.


CONCLUSIONS
DHA supplementation did not improve AD/HD-related symptoms. Treatment of ADHD with fatty acids deserves further investigation, but careful attention should be paid as to which fatty acid(s) is used.
Department of Early Childhood Education and Care, Kurashiki City College, Okayama, Japan.
S
S
Hirayama
T
T
Hamazaki
K
K
Terasawa
D000374:Aggression / Q000187:drug effects; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D005395:Fish Oils / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D010919:Placebos; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D005395:Fish Oils; D010919:Placebos; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids