EPA and DHA are among the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. Polyunsaturated fatty acids, including EPA and DHA, are fatty acids that are part of the diet and they are important structural molecules that include forming membrane membranes and. They are involved in the function of nerve cells and the brain. EPA and DHA are also necessary during early fetal development. It can be difficult to get enough intake of EPA and DHA through diet alone. The daily recommendation for omega-3 fatty acids is 2.5-3 grams, but this amount is also include the omega-3 fatty acid, linolenic acid (ALA) which has a shorter carbon chain. It is an important component of our diet, as it is found in many common food plants but ALA does not provide the health benefits seen with EPA and DHA. The body can convert ALA from dietary sources to EPA and DHA via the enzymes enlongase and desaturase; however, enzyme capacity is low and research shows that only a small amount of DHA and EPA can be synthesized in the body. Therefore, dietary intake of EPA and DHA is important. In recent years, studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids have health-promoting properties. This study summarizes the structural properties and dietary sources of omega-3 fatty acids and their effect on hyperactivity symptoms in children with ASD. The PubMed database was used to search for studies. Four published RCT studies were evaluated. The participants in the four studies were children between 2.5 and 8 years old. The effect of an average dose of 1,075 g of omega-3 fatty acids per day and its effects were investigated. Although the results of the four studies showed that the daily intake of omega-3 fatty acids reduced hyperactivity symptoms in children with autism, the results were not statistically significant. The conclusion is that although a decrease in hyperactivity was observed in children with ASD who received omega-3 fatty acids as a dietary supplement, there was not a statistically significant reduction in hyperactivity symptoms. More studies are needed to confirm whether treatment with omega-3 fatty acids reduces hyperactivity in children with ASD.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:lnu-111243 |
| Date | January 2022 |
| Creators | Hasen, Yeldiz |
| Publisher | Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för kemi och biomedicin (KOB) |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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