Key Points
• There is a rising prevalence of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder defining the Richardson–Puri fatty acid model of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, suggesting association with fatty acid changes in the modern Western diet.
• Children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder symptomatology with daily supplementation of evening primrose oil and the ω-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid leads to beneficial changes in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder symptomatology.
• There is a case to a move away from modern Western diets, particularly in children, in order to help reduce the rising tide of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and related disorders.
Keywords
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Puri BK. Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Natural Way to Treat ADHD. London: Hammersmith Press, 2005.
Association AP. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-IV-TR. 4th ed. text revision. ed. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 2000.
Richardson AJ, Puri BK. The potential role of fatty acids in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids 2000; 63: 79–87.
Pudelkewicz C, Seufert J, Holman RT. Requirements of the female rat for linoleic and linolenic acids. J Nutr 1968; 94: 138–146.
Kaufmann WE, Worley PF, Pegg J, Bremer M, Isakson P. COX-2, a synaptically induced enzyme, is expressed by excitatory neurons at postsynaptic sites in rat cerebral cortex. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1996; 93: 2317–2321.
Smalheiser NR, Dissanayake S, Kapil A. Rapid regulation of neurite outgrowth and retraction by phospholipase A2-derived arachidonic acid and its metabolites. Brain Res 1996; 721: 39–48.
Yehuda S, Rabinovitz S, Mostofsky DI. Essential fatty acids and sleep: mini-review and hypothesis. Med Hypotheses 1998; 50: 139–145.
Fagioli I, Baroncini P, Ricour C, Salzarulo P. Decrease of slow-wave sleep in children with prolonged absence of essential lipids intake. Sleep 1989; 12: 495–499.
Manku MS, Horrobin DF, Morse NL, Wright S, Burton JL. Essential fatty acids in the plasma phospholipids of patients with atopic eczema. Br J Dermatol 1984; 110: 643–648.
Morse PF, Horrobin DF, Manku MS et al. Meta-analysis of placebo-controlled studies of the efficacy of Epogam in the treatment of atopic eczema. Relationship between plasma essential fatty acid changes and clinical response. Br J Dermatol 1989; 121: 75–90.
Wright S, Bolton C. Breast milk fatty acids in mothers of children with atopic eczema. Br J Nutr 1989; 62: 693–697.
Alexander JW. Immunonutrition: the role of omega-3 fatty acids. Nutrition 1998; 14: 627–633.
Holman RT. The slow discovery of the importance of omega 3 essential fatty acids in human health. J Nutr 1998; 128: 427S–33S.
Horrobin DF. The regulation of prostaglandin biosynthesis: negative feedback mechanisms and the selective control of formation of I and 2 series prostaglandins: relevance to inflammation and immunity. Med Hypotheses 1980; 6: 687–709.
Horrobin DF. The roles of prostaglandins and prolactin in depression, mania and schizophrenia. Postgrad Med J 1977; 53(Suppl 4): 160–165.
Horrobin DF, Bennett CN. Depression and bipolar disorder: relationships to impaired fatty acid and phospholipid metabolism and to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, immunological abnormalities, cancer, ageing and osteoporosis. Possible candidate genes. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids 1999; 60: 217–234.
Puri BK, Counsell SJ, Hamilton G, Richardson AJ, Horrobin DF. Eicosapentaenoic acid in treatment-resistant depression associated with symptom remission, structural brain changes and reduced neuronal phospholipid turnover. Int J Clin Pract 2001; 55: 560–563.
Puri BK, Counsell SJ, Richardson AJ, Horrobin DF. Eicosapentaenoic acid in treatment-resistant depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2002; 59: 91–92.
Peet M, Horrobin DF. A dose-ranging study of the effects of ethyl-eicosapentaenoate in patients with ongoing depression despite apparently adequate treatment with standard drugs. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2002; 59: 913–919.
Murck H, Song C, Horrobin DF, Uhr M. Ethyl-eicosapentaenoate and dexamethasone resistance in therapy-refractory depression. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2004; 7: 341–349.
Frangou S, Lewis M, McCrone P. Efficacy of ethyl-eicosapentaenoic acid in bipolar depression: randomised double-blind placebo-controlled study. Br J Psychiatry 2006; 188: 46–50.
Richardson AJ, Cox IJ, Sargentoni J, Puri BK. Abnormal cerebral phospholipid metabolism in dyslexia indicated by phosphorus-31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy. NMR Biomed 1997; 10: 309–314.
Baker SM. A biochemical approach to the problem of dyslexia. J Learn Disabil 1985; 18: 581–584.
Sinn N. Physical fatty acid deficiency signs in children with ADHD symptoms. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids 2007; 77: 109–115.
Puri BK. The clinical advantages of cold-pressed non-raffinated evening primrose oil over refined preparations. Med Hypotheses 2004; 62: 116–118.
Aman MG, Mitchell EA, Turbott SH. The effects of essential fatty acid supplementation by Efamol in hyperactive children. J Abnorm Child Psychol 1987; 15: 75–90.
Arnold LE, Kleykamp D, Votolato NA, Taylor WA, Kontras SB, Tobin K. Gamma-linolenic acid for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: placebo-controlled comparison to D-amphetamine. Biol Psychiatry 1989; 25: 222–228.
Voigt RG, Llorente AM, Jensen CL, Fraley JK, Berretta MC, Heird WC. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of docosahexaenoic acid supplementation in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. J Pediatr 2001; 139: 189–196.
Hirayama S, Hamazaki T, Terasawa K. Effect of docosahexaenoic acid-containing food administration on symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder—a placebo-controlled double-blind study. Eur J Clin Nutr 2004; 58: 467–473.
Stevens L, Zhang W, Peck L et al. EFA supplementation in children with inattention, hyperactivity, and other disruptive behaviors. Lipids 2003; 38: 1007–1021.
Puri BK, Richardson AD. The effects of olive oil on omega3 fatty acids and mood disorders. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2000; 57: 715.
Harding KL, Judah RD, Gant C. Outcome-based comparison of Ritalin versus food-supplement treated children with AD/HD. Altern Med Rev 2003; 8: 319–330.
Richardson AJ, Puri BK. A randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the effects of supplementation with highly unsaturated fatty acids on ADHD-related symptoms in children with specific learning difficulties. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2002; 26: 233–239.
Richardson AJ, Montgomery P. The Oxford-Durham study: a randomized, controlled trial of dietary supplementation with fatty acids in children with developmental coordination disorder. Pediatrics 2005; 115: 1360–1366.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Puri, B.K. (2010). The Role of Modern Western Diets in Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. In: De Meester, F., Zibadi, S., Watson, R. (eds) Modern Dietary Fat Intakes in Disease Promotion. Nutrition and Health. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-571-2_22
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-571-2_22
Published:
Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ
Print ISBN: 978-1-60327-570-5
Online ISBN: 978-1-60327-571-2
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)