Omega-3 fatty acids and their importance for adolescents

Omega-3 fatty acids and their importance for adolescents

A new study reveals that DHA is associated with greater ability to selective and sustained attention in adolescents, while ALA is associated with decreased impulsivity.

The results of the study, which was co-led by ISGlobal, a center supported by the La Caixa Foundation and the Pere Virgili Institute for Health Research ISPV, underscores the importance of a diet that provides adequate amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids for healthy brain development.

During adolescence, important structural and functional changes occur in the brain, especially in the frontal lobe area, which plays a key role in controlling attention. On the other hand, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are known to be essential for proper brain development and function.

DHA . acid

The most abundant fatty acid in the brain, especially in the frontal lobe region, is DHA, which is mostly supplied by eating fatty fish.

"Despite the established importance of DHA in brain development, few studies have assessed whether it plays a role in the attentional performance of healthy adolescents," said Jordi Júlvez, a researcher at the Pere Virgili Institute for Health Research, and research coordinator and study coordinator at ISGlobal.

"In addition, the potential role of ALA, an omega-3 fatty acid but of plant origin, has not been extensively studied," he said, noting that this is important given the low consumption of fish in Western societies.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether higher intakes of DHA and ALA were associated with increased attention performance in a group of 332 adolescents from different schools in Barcelona.

computerized tests

Participants also underwent computerized tests that measured reaction times in order to determine selective and sustained attention capacity, inhibition capacity in the face of distracting stimuli, and impulsivity.

The teens also answered a series of questions about dietary habits and gave blood samples to measure red blood cell levels of DHA and ALA.

The results showed that higher levels of DHA were associated with more selective and sustained attention and inhibited attention. In contrast, ALA was not associated with attention performance but with decreased impulsivity.

More studies

“The role of ALA in controlling attention remains unclear, but this finding may be clinically relevant, as impulsivity is a feature of many psychiatric conditions, such as ADHD,” said Ariadna Pinar Marti, first author of the study. ADHD".

And Júlvez concluded that the study suggests that dietary DHA likely plays a role in tasks that require attention. However, more studies are needed to confirm cause and effect, as well as to understand the role of ALA.