Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Child Behavior (Expert Forum)
attention deficit disorder and fatty acid deficiency
Answered by
Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D. - Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy, Family Therapy, Crisis Intervention
Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates
This forum is for questions and support regarding child behavior issues such: Child Discipline (behavior management), Normal Child Development, Parent-Child Communications, Social Development
 |
attention deficit disorder and fatty acid deficiency
by Cheryl Andrews, Aug 12, 2000 12:00AM
I have been searching for information regarding fatty acid dificiency. While reading a magazine I came across an advertisement for Efalex for ADD. It's selling point is fatty acid dificiency and it's relation to ADD/ADHD. My son is 12 years old. He weighs 58 pounds and is a peanut. Our doctor is not concerned about his size. My husband and his family are not big people. However, the Ritalin seems to cause his appetite to disappear. The good side of Ritalin is that he is able to focus and enjoys life. My question is: Is there a test that could be conducted to see if my son has fatty acid deficiency? Would this dificiency cause him to be very slim? I appreciate your knowledge.
Doctor's Answer
by Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D., Aug 13, 2000 12:00AM
, Aug 13, 2000 12:00AM
Dear Ms. Andrews,
I will address your question in detail tomorrow, when I can obtain some references I would like to recommend to you.
I will address your question in detail tomorrow, when I can obtain some references I would like to recommend to you.
Communities
Ask a Doctor Forums
Tools and Applications
Personal Information
Medical Information
Doctors and Partners
Your question touches on a couple of important matters. First, as you have learned, stimulant medications (such as Ritalin) used in the treatment of ADHD can suppress appetite. In children who are small in stature to begin with, it's important to monitor weight to be sure the loss of appetite is not resulting in weight loss. Generally it works out OK, but should be watched.
Second, ADHD is a neuro-biological condition with a pretty wide array of possible symptoms. Biological, psychological and social factors interact in ways that make each instance unique in symptom picture. Many factors can be instrumental in ADHD, among them genetic predisposition, neurochemical issue, sensitivities to food, and psychosocial stressors.
Without doubt, certain nutritional and metaboloic imbalances can contribute to the symptom picture of ADHD. One of these is an imbalance in essential fatty acids. EFA's are an important ingredient in the membranes of the body, including the membranes of brain cells. Deficiencies in essential fatty acids can have a direct bearing on the functioning of brain cells. And there is pretty convincing evidence that EFA supplementation can be of beneifit to some children who display ADHD. This matter of essential fatty acids and implications around ADHD is separate from your child's weight/stature issue - he seems to have inherited this trait from his father's side.
Now, relative to supplementation of ESA's, too often parents proceed to add supplements, assuming they won't be harmful. This is unwise. Supplementation should only occur with the guidance of your son's doctors. Fatty acid analysis, along with other biochemical laboratory tests, can be done to identify metabolic or nutritional deficiencies. These test results can then lead to an individualized plan for supplementation.
You might want to do some reading about EFA's and their relationships with certain neuro-biological and emotional conditions. If you utilize the SEARCH function in this Forum, and search MEDLINE, you will see a number of references.