Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder ( | essential fatty acid (EFA) | research review | supplements
This article summarizes the evidence that several related disorders, including autism, may all result from problems with the way the body uses fatty acids.
Some of the more common neurodevelopmental disorders are: ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia (DCD), and autism. This article introduces a special issue of this journal about neurodevelopmental disorders and fatty acids. The authors give evidence that these disorders are linked to one another, in that they share a related set of symptoms, and in that children who have been diagnosed with one of them are more likely than those in the general population to be diagnosed with another. Further, they note that each of these disorders affects boys more often than girls. This is relevant because males are more likely to be deficient in essential fatty acids (EFAs) than females. The authors outline the research showing that EFA deficiency, or abnormalities in the way the body uses EFA, have been found in all four of these conditions. They conclude that supplementation with EFAs may be useful to treat these disorders, and that more research into the relationship between the way the body uses fatty acids and neurodevelopmental disorders is needed.
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