ArticleJournal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry = Journal de l'Academie canadienne de psychiatrie de l'enfant et de l'adolescent2016
Omega-6 to Omega-3 Fatty Acid Ratio in Patients with ADHD: A Meta-Analysis.
Article in Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry = Journal de l'Academie canadienne de psychiatrie de l'enfant et de l'adolescent, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 32 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Dual Effects of ADHD Pharmacotherapy on Nutrition: A Scoping Review of Appetite, Eating Behavior, and Growth Across the Lifespan.Nutrients · 2026Article
- Association between dietary n-6/n-3 ratio and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder among American children and adolescents: findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.Lipids in health and disease · 2025Article
- The possible effects of chili peppers on ADHD in relation to the gut microbiota.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Review
- Article
- A systematic meta-review of systematic reviews on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2023Review
- Review
- Direct and Indirect Effects of Blood Levels of Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids on Reading and Writing (Dis)Abilities.Brain sciences · 2022Article
- The association between heightened ADHD symptoms and cytokine and fatty acid concentrations during pregnancy.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
- New Hematological Parameters as Inflammatory Biomarkers: Systemic Immune Inflammation Index, Platerethritis, and Platelet Distribution Width in Patients with Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.Advances in neurodevelopmental disorders · 2022Article
- Current Evidence on the Role of the Gut Microbiome in ADHD Pathophysiology and Therapeutic Implications.Nutrients · 2021Review
- Unique Trans-fatty Acid Profile in Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Article
- Micronutrients and Diets in the Treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Chances and Pitfalls.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2020Article
- Food-Intake Normalization of Dysregulated Fatty Acids in Women with Anorexia Nervosa.Nutrients · 2019Article
- Dietary Profiles, Nutritional Biochemistry Status, and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Path Analysis for a Case-Control Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2019Article
- Role of Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase in Metabolism of PUFAs in Psychiatric and Neurological Disorders.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2019Review
- N-3 (Omega-3) Fatty Acids: Effects on Brain Dopamine Systems and Potential Role in the Etiology and Treatment of Neuropsychiatric Disorders.CNS & neurological disorders drug targets · 2018Review
- Clinical Trial of Efficacy Evaluation of Omega-3 with Risperidone on Seizures Frequency in Children with Refractory Epilepsy and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.Iranian journal of child neurology · 2018Article
- The Role of Nutritional Supplements in the Treatment of ADHD: What the Evidence Says.Current psychiatry reports · 2017Review
- Do Omega-3/6 Fatty Acids Have a Therapeutic Role in Children and Young People with ADHD?Journal of lipids · 2017Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveOmega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids have been shown to be deficient in individuals with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder compared to controls (Hawkey & Nigg, 2014). Clinical trials of omega-3 and omega-6 supplements as treatment for ADHD have demonstrated minimal efficacy (Bloch & Qawasmi, 2011; Gillies, Sinn, Lad, Leach, & Ross, 2011; Hawkey & Nigg, 2014; Puri & Martins, 2014; Sonuga-Barke et al., 2013). Existing trials have analyzed omega-3 and omega-6 separately although the tissue ratio of these fatty acids (n6/n3) may be more important than absolute levels of either. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between blood n6/n3 and arachidonic acid to eicosapentaenoic acid (AA/EPA), to ADHD symptoms.
methodA systematic literature review identified original articles measuring blood n6/n3 or AA/EPA ratio in children and youth with ADHD, compared to controls without ADHD. Three databases were searched. Blood n6/n3, and AA/EPA ratios were compared between individuals with ADHD and controls. Results were pooled across studies using quantitative synthesis.
resultsFive articles met inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. The pooled mean difference between patients with ADHD and controls was 1.97 (0.90-3.04) for n6/n3 (n=5 studies, I(2) 83%) and 8.25 (5.94-10.56) for AA/EPA (n=3 studies, I(2) 0%).
conclusionsChildren and youth with ADHD have elevated ratios of both blood n6/n3 and AA/EPA fatty acids compared to controls. Thus an elevated n6/n3, and more specifically AA/EPA, ratio may represent the underlying disturbance in essential fatty acid levels in patients with ADHD. These findings have implications for the development of future interventions using essential fatty acids to treat ADHD, and for the use of these ratios as biomarkers for titrating and monitoring ADHD treatment with essential fatty acids.
Indexed as
Identifiers
27274744PMC4879948W2412347285What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.