Essential Fatty Acids — Nutrient Deficiencies in Children with Symptoms of ADHD (Part 2)

October 20, 2018

Several studies have linked essential fatty acid (EFA) deficiencies to symptoms of ADHD, like hyperactivity. ^{1 2 3} Fatty acids play many important roles in our bodies, some which aren’t as obvious as others.  

This overview of essential fatty acid deficiencies in children with ADHD will help you understand how crucial these nutrients are, and what happens when they are out of balance. Simple steps can be taken to identify and correct an EFA deficiency and improve your child’s nutrition status so that he or she can thrive.

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• Fatty acids are one of three macronutrients, and provide nutrition for the body. They play a role in many functions throughout the body, including as the main component of the cells wall, which protects the cell and regulates what goes into and out of the cell.
• Essential fatty acids (EFAs) must be obtained from the diet and cannot be produced by the body. Linoleic acid (LA) is an essential omega-6 fat. Alpha linolenic acid (ALA) is an essential omega-3 fat.
• The standard American diet is imbalanced in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, providing high amounts of potentially inflammatory omega-6 oils and low amounts of anti-inflammatory omega-3 oils.
• EFA deficiencies have been linked to ADHD symptoms.
• Children with ADHD have higher levels of inflammation.
• Eating a diet high in anti-inflammatory EFAs and lower in inflammatory fats, supporting digestion, and supplementing with EFAs when necessary can help improve the body’s EFA balance.

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What nutrients are often found to be deficient in children with ADHD

Through this seven-part series, we discuss the science behind nutrient deficiencies linked to ADHD, and what steps you can take to correct them. Key nutrients that have been found to be deficient in children with ADHD symptoms include vitamin D, essential fatty acids (EFAs), and minerals including selenium, magnesium, iron, and zinc.

Understanding the function of these nutrients in the body and why the deficiency may have developed in the first place, along with how to identify and address the deficiency are crucial steps to helping your child.  

Keep in mind an entire book could be written about each of these nutrients. Here we will stick to the highlights to give you the best overview.

The importance and role of fatty acids in the body

Fatty acids (also known simply as fats) are one of three macronutrients (fat, protein, carbohydrate) that provide nutrition for the body. They play a role in many functions throughout the body:

• Provide a source of energy. When properly digested, fats are an excellent source of raw materials for the mitochondria to produce consistent energy (more on fat digestion later).

• Make up cell membranes. The outer membrane of the cell is made up of a lipid bilayer. This bilayer protects the cell’s contents from harm, and facilitates the transport of nutrients into the cell and waste out of the cell.

• Promote liver function by building cholesterol and bile. Fats make up cholesterol and bile, both key to liver function. And liver function is key to detoxification. Many of our children’s symptoms come from the inability to properly detox.

• Required for the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins: A,D,E,K. Part 1 of this series discusses the role of vitamin D deficiency in children with ADHD symptoms.

• Required for the adequate use of proteins. The building blocks of proteins are amino acids which are an essential element of