A lack of essential fatty acids as a possible cause of hyperactivity in children
Colquhoun, I. and Bunday, S. (1981) Medical Hypotheses 7(5) 673-679
Abstract:
The Hyperactive Children's Support Group (HCSG) in an organisation with over 70 branches in Britain devoted to helping such children and their families. We have carried out a detailed survey of the characteristics of many of our children and their families and have studied the literature in detail.
We have come to the conclusion that many of these children have a deficiency of essential fatty acids (EFAs) either because they cannot metabolise linoleic acid normally, or because they cannot absorb EFAs normally from the gut, or because their EFA requirements are higher than normal.
The main pieces of evidence are:
1. Most of the food constituents which cause trouble in these children are weak inhibitors of the conversion of EFAs to prostaglandins (PGs).
2. Boys are much more commonly affected than girls and males are known to have much higher requirements for EFAs than females.
3. A high proportion of our children have abnormal thirst and thirst is one of the cardinal signs of EFA deficiency.
4. Many of our children have eczema, allergies and asthma which some reports suggest can be alleviated by EFAs.
5. Many of our children are deficient in zinc which is required for conversion of EFAs to PGs.
6. Some of of our children are badly affected by wheat and milk which are known to give rise to exorphins in the gut which can block conversion of EFAs to PGE1.
A preliminary study of EFA supplementation in a number of our children has given promising results. We hope that others with better facilities will be encouraged to test out this hypothesis.
FAB RESEARCH COMMENT:
These authors were the first to propose that 'essential fatty acid deficiency' may be a factor in ADHD, linking their own clinical observations to existing knowledge of the potential effects of fatty acids on physical health, as well as behaviour.
Their hypotheses stimulated both experimental studies and treatment trials, most of which have supported their insightful proposal that hyperactivity - or 'Attention-Deficiet Hyperactivity Disorder' - involves deficiencies or imbalances in the long-chain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that are essential for healthy brain development and function.
Very importantly, however, both 'hyperactivity' - and the broader 'ADHD' diagnosis (which was only adopted the 1980s, and encompasses inattention and impulsivity as well as hyperactivity) are purely descriptive labels - with substantial variability within any groups defined only by these terms.
This variability means that any research studies aiming to identify causal factors, but which consider 'ADHD' as a unitary condition, are likely to yield inconsistent results.
Many other possible factors - biological, psychological and social - can contribute to the behavioural 'symptoms' used to define ADHD.
Nutrition and diet are always fundamental things to consider, and good evidence indicates that preventing nutritional deficiencies or imbalances duing critical periods of brain development - particularly in pregnancy and early life - may help to reduce the prevalence of ADHD and the many other developmental, mental and physical conditions with which this is associated.
Dietary or nutritional interventions for 'ADHD' (or any other mental condition) should always be seen as complementary or 'adjunctive' to standard methods of management, not as a substitute.
But ensuring the brain has the nutrients it needs to work properly may in some cases help standard treatments to work better - and good nutrition also supports general health and wellbeing.
For a subsequent review of the early evidence linking ADHD with fatty acid abnormalities, see:
And for more articles on this topic - please see the following lists, which are regularly updated:
For practical dietary advice from one of the leading researchers in this area, see:
Update 2024
The UK Hyperactive Children's Support Group (HACSG), founded in the 1970s, provided valuable information and support on the dietary management of ADHD and related conditions to a huge number of parents, families, and individuals.
HACSG Trustees included experts from both scientific research and education - and the charity worked with teachers, schools and the general public - and with FAB Research - to raise awareness and provide evidence-based information about the effects thar nutrient deficiencies and imbalances, and/or 'food sensitivities' (including intolernces as well as allergies) can have on many children (and adults) with 'ADHD'
Its founder, Sally Bunday (the parent of a hyperactive child herself) - worked tirelessly with parents, schools and the media, and personally ran the HACSG helpline for many decades before finally retiring in 2024, when the charity sadly closed.
Their work will be very much missed - although FAB Research will continue to do all we can to continue the work that HACSG pioneered, and to make sure that future generations can benefit from their valuable and important legacy.
Food and Behaviour Research is a registered charity (No SC034604) and a company limited by guarantee (Co No SC 253448)
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