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disease. In an eight year prospective study of 1200 elderly subjects, those with low serum
DHA had a 67% greater chance of developing Alzheimer's disease than those with high DHA.
In a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled study of 174 very mildly impaired
Alzheimer's disease patients, 600 mg of EPA per day slowed cognitive decline over a six-
month period. The 2012 Oregon Brain Study results confirmed the coincidence of higher
omega-3 levels and higher cognitive function.^36 Brown et al. concede that more studies are
needed to confirm or refute the potential neural protective effects of omega-3s suggested
by these studies. Berkeley Wellness adds that research suggests that omega-3's may "help
preserve cognitive function in older people."^37
- SUGGESTED BUT UNPROVEN USES: ADHD
Brown, Gerbarg, Mischoulon, Freeman, Weil and Stoll all consider omega-3s to be
potentially beneficial for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A 2011 review
and meta-analysis of ten studies by Bloch et al, cited in Brown et al. II, showed a
“modest but significant benefit in reducing ADHD symptoms from formulas rich in EPA.^38
In his book, ADHD Without Drugs,^39 Sanford Newmark, M.D., an integrative pediatrician
and colleague of Weil’s, summarizes the evidence. Newmark concludes that: “In my
opinion, every single child who has ADHD would benefit from taking, or needs to have at
least tried, a daily omega-3 fatty acid supplement.”^40 He starts with the proposition that
children with ADHD have lower omega-3 levels in their bodies as a result of an unknown
metabolic process related to their condition.^41 Then, disregarding the studies in which
the children took stimulants in addition to omega-3s, he demonstrates the
improvement in symptoms when children with ADHD are given omega-3 supplements
as monotherapy. In one study, in which 40 children were given either a fish oil
supplement or olive oil placebo every day for three months, the children taking the fish
oil improved significantly in their ADHD symptoms as well as in measures of learning
ability. In fact, on almost every measure, including attention, hyperactivity, and
cognition, the children taking fish oil showed substantial improvement, whereas those
taking placebo had minimal or no improvement.^42 In another study, this same group of
