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The good oil for behavioural problems

Nine MSN Article 20 June 2006

Fish oil is useful in helping children with behavioural difficulties such as Asperger's Syndrome, ADHD, concentration problems and attention difficulties, studies have shown.
ADHD affects about 80,000 Australian children. More often than not, these children are on prescribed medication.
However, with revelations earlier this year that nearly 400 serious adverse reactions to ADHD drugs including Ritalin and dexamphetamine had been reported to the Therapeutic Goods Administration, it's no wonder many sufferers and their parents are seeking relief with natural remedies.

Child psychologist Doctor Madeline Portwood has carried out scientific tests in which children diagnosed with ADHD who took fish oil had improved concentration and were better able to follow directions.
"I can say conclusively that children's behaviour is changing. Children are becoming less difficult to control and concentration is becoming a lot better, and from the research that I've done, that is because of their diets." she says.

Fish is brain food. Like some nuts and leafy greens it is rich in fatty acids our bodies can't produce, and those fatty acids make up the substance of our brains.
Australian children aren't eating much fish so they aren't getting many fatty acids in their diets and Dr Portwood is convinced this is affecting their brains.

Poppy Pnonopluie's eight-year-old son Marcus couldn't concentrate or retain information and he hated school.
For two months he's been taking Eye Q - a fish oil supplement high in omega-3 fatty acids - and life has changed.
"I feel a bit happy because I'm getting smarter," Marcus says.
His teacher has noticed a difference, saying he's working much better in class and she's very impressed.

Anne Marie Davey is another convert to fish oil. One of her sons Nick has ADHD and autism, while her other son Tom has attention deficit disorder. Even on prescription drugs life was nothing short of chaotic until they started taking fish oil.
"They were on it for a couple of months and the difference was huge from what they were to what they are now and they just seem to be getting better," Anne Marie says.

Eye Q is a specially formulated combination of omega-3 fish oils and evening primrose oil.
To find out more about Eye Q visit the website www.novasel.com.au or email adelaide@novasel.com.au
Tune in to Mornings with Kerri-Anne on the Nine Network at 9am on Wednesday, June 21, for more on this story.

Fish oil can treat ADHD, research shows

Wednesday Jun 21 00:46 AEST 2006

Omega-3 fish oil can be more effective than stimulant drugs commonly prescribed for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to new research.
The University of South Australia research tested a supplement called eye q, a combination of omega-3 fish oil and omega-6 evening primrose oil.
The supplement was tested on 132 ADHD children over a period of 15 to 30 weeks.
At the end of the 30 week period, almost half of the children had reduced ADHD symptoms, according to their parents who completed assessment questionnaires for the study.
For the initial 15 weeks of the study, children were divided into three groups: one taking eye q; another eye q and a low dose multi vitamin/mineral supplement and; a third group taking a placebo.
After 15 weeks, all children went on eye q and the multi vitamin/minerals.
"Around 30 per cent of the children had shown strong positive treatment effects on the core ADHD symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity compared to the placebo group after 15 weeks," study leader Natalie Sinn said.
"These effects were mirrored in the placebo group following their switch to active treatment, and the fish oil groups continued to improve after taking the supplement for a further 15 weeks.
"According to the data, the multi vitamin/mineral supplement had no additional effects."

Eat more seafood to reduce mental health problems - says international expert

Media release – Friday 12 October 2007

ONE of the world’s most highly respected experts in human nutrition and brain function has urged greater consumption of seafood to reverse the growth of mental health problems in developed nations.
Professor Michael Crawford, Director of the Institute of Brain Chemistry & Human Nutrition at the University of North London, has told an international conference mental health is a bigger problem than obesity and that one way to tackle it is to eat more seafood.
Prof. Crawford described the rise in brain disorders and mental health problems associated with a deficiency in Omega 3 oils as “the most pressing health issue of the 21st century: forget obesity, mental health is the real disaster already beginning to happen”.
He was speaking at the recent World Seafood Congress in Dublin, Ireland, and one of the Australian delegates to that conference was Mr Roy Palmer, Deputy Chair of the government-industry body, Seafood Services Australia (SSA).
Mr Palmer, who has just returned to Australia, said the professor’s warning was dramatic.
“Professor Crawford told the Congress that mental health has overtaken heart disease as the leading medical health problem in Europe and was estimated in 2004 to cost 386 billion Euro a year or more than $600 billion Australian, an enormous sum of money,” Mr Palmer said.
“His message was ‘Eat more fish and substantially lessen your risk of developing mental health problems’. Of course, ‘Eat more fish’ was a message well received by an audience of people associated with the seafood industry but Professor Crawford’s interest is not in making fishmongers wealthy but reversing the growing personal and economic cost of mental health problems across the developed world.
“He said populations in some developed countries are 50 times more likely to develop depression than populations like that of Japan, where seafood consumption is very high. He suggested our western meat and wheat-based diet, and falling consumption of seafood-based Omega 3 fatty acids (oils), is resulting in this significant rise in brain ill health.
“To quote Professor Crawford directly, ‘We are seeing more and more scientific evidence linking brain disorders and diet. For example, researchers now know women suffering from post-natal depression produce breast milk that is very low in DHA, the boss of the Omega 3 family. Similarly, preliminary research into Alzheimer’s Disease shows sufferers are also losing this critical DHA from their brain.
“He told us: ‘It’s simple: ¬our brain is made of marine fats. If we do not feed it the food it requires to remain healthy - fish and specifically Omega 3 fats - then we are looking at serious brain problems like depression, bipolar disorder and childhood behavioural problems like ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia.’
“He cautioned against the trend of relying on Omega 3 supplements or the ever-growing list of Omega 3-enhanced food products. Supplements are OK as an emergency measure, he said, but that the best source of Omega 3 fatty acids is to be found in natural products and seafood is by far the main source.
“The message he had for international seafood people - fishermen, marketers, researchers and managers – is that the world needs to eat more fish and we must look after fish stocks and ensure they are sustainable. That is the basis of all fisheries management in Australia already but it’s a point that all delegates to the World Seafood Congress took on board.
Mr Palmer added that SSA has a website where further information about the health benefits of seafood is available: http://www.seafood.net.au/health/
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Mr Roy Palmer, Deputy Chair, Seafood Services Australia: 0419 528 733 or palmerroy at hotmail.com
Mr Ted Loveday, Managing Director, Seafood Services Australia: 0427 323 663 or tedloveday at seafoodservices.com.au
Note: More information on the cost of brain disorders in Europe can be found in the European Journal of Neurology, Volume 12 (Supplement 1), June 2005, in a research paper entitled “Costs of Disorders of the Brain in Europe” by Patrik Andlin-Sobocki, Bengt Jönsson, Hans-Ulrich Wittchen and Jes Olesen.
This research report found that (in 2004) there were an estimated 127 million Europeans currently living with a braindisorder out of a population of 466 million. The total annual cost of brain disorders in Europe was estimated to €386 billion in 2004. Direct medical expenditures alone totaled €135 billion, comprising inpatient stays (€78 billion), outpatient visits (€45 billion) and drug costs (€13 billion). Attributable indirect costs resulting from lost workdays and productivity loss because of permanent disability caused by brain disorders and mortality were €179 billion, of which the mental disorders are the most prevalent. Direct non-medical costs (social services, informal care and other direct costs) totalled €72 billion.
Go to: www.sinapsa.org/Osnova/Materiali/Cost-paper-EBC.pdf