Staying nourished while also having ADHD can seem like a Herculean task. Between fitting meals in, grocery shopping, and all the little steps it takes to make a delicious and nutritious meal, it can be difficult to get in all the nutrients the human body needs to function optimally. I know I’m guilty of forgetting to eat sometimes when I get busy and then gorging myself on nutrient void snacks later (cheese puffs, anyone?). Not my proudest moment…
Those with ADHD are at a particular disadvantage when it comes to eating well. In fact, one study showed that worse ADHD symptoms leads to worse nutritional status but the low diet quality itself in this study didn’t necessarily lead to worse symptoms. (1) I will say, though, that when you’re not properly nourished and not getting enough calories in, your brain isn’t going to function optimally. That’s why I always recommend regular snacks throughout the day, and to include some protein-type food (think, peanut butter, cheese, etc.) with each snack to keep your blood sugar levels steady when focus and mood are all over the place.
Even though there’s not one specific diet that has been shown to alleviate ADHD symptoms, there are specific nutrients that have been shown to improve symptoms, and in this article series, we’re going to look at a few that have some benefit for the symptoms of ADHD. To start it off, we’re looking at omega 3 fatty acids!
Fats are an essential part of everyone’s diet and there a lot of different types of fat. One such type is called omega 3 fatty acids which are a healthy fat found primarily in fish as well as some plants like walnuts and flaxseeds. This type of fat is vital for brain health, and it also helps your body cool down inflammation. However, in our modern diets, we really don’t get enough of this type of fat, and because omega 3 fatty acids are so vital for brain health, it has been studied as part of ADHD treatment.
One study reviewed all the experiments they could find on omega 3 fatty acids to treat ADHD and they found that overall, most of the experiments found it to be helpful for improving ADHD symptoms (2). Another study reviewed experiments looking at two specific types of omega 3 fatty acids: DHA and EPA (these types are only found in fish and not in plant foods, and these are essential nutrients that our bodies struggle to get elsewhere). They found that the majority of the experiments they looked at showed that these types of omega 3 fatty acids improved hyperactivity, impulsivity, attention, visual learning, word reading, and working memory (3).
Typically, I recommend getting in 2 grams of fish oil daily, making sure you get a quality brand that’s either third party tested or GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) certified. If you have a diagnosed bleeding disorder (meaning you bleed too much), omega 3 fatty acids might make this worse so it would be worth talking to your doctor about it before supplementing omega 3 fatty acids. Alternatively, you can also get omega 3 fatty acids from fish such as salmon, sardines, and anchovies! Flaxseed and walnuts also have omega 3 fatty acids, but it is in the form of ALA only and your body needs a lot of ALA to make even just a little bit of DHA or EPA (which is the type we mentioned above), so it truly is worth it to eat fish regularly if you can!
Stay tuned for future parts to our Nutrition in ADHD blog series!
About the Author
Tricia Eshleman Latimer (she/her), MD is a physician who is about to become a board eligible psychiatrist in August of 2024. She specializes in a holistic approach to medication management, helping her patients get to the root of their issues and integrating medications with lifestyle and nutritional recommendations. Currently, she sees patients 18 and older though is working to get credentialed in child and adolescent psychiatry through Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Click here to learn more about Tricia’s experience and therapeutic approach
- Annemiek Mian PWJ, Anh N Nguyen, April Bowling, Carry M Renders, Trudy Voortman. Children’s Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms Predict Lower Diet Quality but Not Vice Versa: Results from Bidirectional Analyses in a Population-Based Cohort. Journal of Nutrition. 2019;149:642-648.
- Muhammad Abdullah BJ, Paula Jane Whittaker, Lesley Patterson. The effectiveness of omega-3 supplementation in reducing ADHD associated symptoms in children as measured by the Conners’ rating scales: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Psychiatric Research. 2019;110:64-73.
- Derbyshire E. Do Omega-3/6 Fatty Acids Have a Therapeutic Role in Children and Young People with ADHD? Journal of Lipids. 2017.