Published in:
01-03-2018 | Original Contribution
A double-blind placebo-controlled randomised trial of omega-3 supplementation in children with moderate ADHD symptoms
Published in: European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry | Issue 3/2018
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Objective
Clinical trials and inconclusive meta-analyses have investigated the effects of omega-3 supplements in children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). We performed a randomised placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids.
Methods
Children aged 6–15 years with established diagnosis of ADHD were randomised 1:1 to receive either supplements containing docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) or a placebo for 3 months. Psychotropic or omega-3-containing treatments were not authorised during the study. The primary outcome was the change in the Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Rating Scale version 4 (ADHD-RS-IV). Other outcomes included safety, lexical level (Alouette test), attention (Test of Attentional Performance for Children—KiTAP), anxiety (48-item Conners Parent Rating Scale-Revised—CPRS-R), and depression (Children’s Depression Inventory—CDI).
Results
Between 2009 and 2011, 162 children were included in five French child psychiatry centres. The mean age was 9.90 (SD 2.62) years and 78.4% were boys. The inclusion ADHD-RS-IV at was 37.31 (SD 8.40). The total ADHD-RS-IV score reduction was greater in the placebo group than in the DHA–EPA group: −19 (−26, −12) % and −9.7 (−16.6, −2.9) %, respectively, p = 0.039. The other components of the Conners score had a similar variation but the differences between groups were not significant. Two patients in the DHA–EPA group and none in the placebo group experienced a severe adverse event (hospitalisation for worsening ADHD symptoms).
Conclusion
This study did not show any beneficial effect of omega-3 supplement in children with mild ADHD symptoms.