Nutrition, Behaviour and Hyperactivity

Everyone knows that a good diet is necessary in order to perform well but this is usually thought of in physical terms - athletes and sportsmen and women have to consider their diet very carefully. But there is increasing evidence that diet can have a specific effect on mental performance and behavior.

Although the word 'fat' has some negative connotation, fats play a vital role in the body. The outer walls of all cells in the body are made of fatty substances. In the brain and nervous system the fatty wall is called myelin. Myelination is a crucial stage in the development of the brain in early life.

There are many different kinds of fat in our body and in our diet and there is mounting evidence that modern diets have created a serious imbalance in our intake of fats. Since some of the fats are involved in the development and functioning of the nervous system this can have consequences for behaviour.

When the importance of unsaturated fatty acids was first recognised it was in the context of reducing cholesterol levels and hence the risk of heart disease. This is still valid but it now seems they may have a wider significance.

Fats are complex chemicals and explaining the differences between them requires a little bit of chemistry (Fatty Acids). People vary in their ability to process fatty acids but the changes in diet during the 20th century mean that much of the population, young and old, may benefit from supplements of omega-3 oils. The most significant fatty acids for brain function are really only found in fish oils, especially eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, the best sources of which are oily fish such as mackerel, tuna and anchovies.

Several recent studies have shown that the incidence of depression in the population is correlated with a lack of fish in the diet and specifically with a lack of omega-3 fatty acids. Studies have also shown that fatty acid supplements can improve behaviour both in children with ADHD and related disorders and in adults with behaviour problems.

In 2002 a double-blind clinical trial with a group of young offenders aged 18-21 showed a 37 per cent improvement in a group given fatty acid and vitamin supplements.

A large double-blind study investigating the effects of fatty acid supplementation on 5-12 year old children with specific learning difficulties (the ‘Oxford-Durham’ study) was published in 2005. It showed marked reductions in ADHD-type symptoms in children receiving the fatty acid supplement – findings very similar to those reported in an earlier US study published in 2003.

The fatty acid theory of ADHD also sheds some light on the rival theory that food additives are responsible. People with fatty-acid deficiencies are often sensitive to salicylates. And salicylates were the culprit in Dr Feingold's original work.

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