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No Link Found Between Adult ADHD and Unsaturated Fatty Acids
Though previous research has suggested a potential link between unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), results from a recent study published in the Journal of Attention Disorders found no significant association.
“This suggests that UFAs supplements may not be effective in improving ADHD symptoms and importantly, it appears that UFAs levels may not have a long-term effect on ADHD,” authors noted.
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Data from genome-wide association studies (GWASs) were used to estimate the levels of circulating UFAs, such as monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), Omega-3 and Omega-6 PUFAs, linoleic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The relationship between genetically-predicted UFA levels and ADHD, in both children and adults, was analyzed using data from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium. Various Mendelian randomization (MR) methods were applied to assess heterogeneity and pleiotropy in these relationships.
Data was included from 225,534 people with childhood ADHD, 45,262 people with adult ADHD, 210,870 people with hypertensive disorders during pregnancy, 200,929 people with pre-eclampsia, and 114,999 healthy controls with UFA data. Though the Inverse-variance weighted analysis originally showed a potential causal relationship between genetically predicted PUFAs, Omega-6 PUFAs, and LA with childhood ADHD risk, results were found to be insignificant after false discovery rate correction. No significant association was found for adult ADHD.
