Answer about EPA/DHA ratios

[Guest guest]

I can't find my own post in which I asked last week about why more EPA than DHA

is recommended (Our naturopath, who is not a DAN!, said to give more DHA than

EPA)

I found the answer yesterday in " Changing the Course of Austism " by

Jepson, MD.

Dr. Jepson says that EPA modulates inflammation by production of cytokines,

whereas DHA is more for both visual and auditory processing systems.

So it makes sense if we are dealing with inflammation that we would want more

EPA than DHA, although both are important.

Dr. Jepson quoted a study about EPA/DHA supplementation as helpful in autism.

The following can be found here:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16920077?ordinalpos=2 & itool=EntrezSystem2.PEn\

trez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

Omega-3 fatty acids supplementation in children with autism: a double-blind

randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study. 2007

Amminger GP, Berger GE, Schäfer MR, Klier C, Friedrich MH, Feucht M.

Department of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Medical University of

Vienna, Vienna, Austria. paul.amminger@...

BACKGROUND: There is increasing evidence that fatty acid deficiencies or

imbalances may contribute to childhood neurodevelopmental disorders. METHODS: We

conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled 6-week pilot trial

investigating the effects of 1.5 g/d of omega-3 fatty acids (.84 g/d

eicosapentaenoic acid, .7 g/d docosahexaenoic acid) supplementation in 13

children (aged 5 to 17 years) with autistic disorders accompanied by severe

tantrums, aggression, or self-injurious behavior. The outcome measure was the

Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) at 6 weeks. RESULTS: We observed an advantage

of omega-3 fatty acids compared with placebo for hyperactivity and stereotypy,

each with a large effect size. Repeated-measures ANOVA indicated a trend toward

superiority of omega-3 fatty acids over placebo for hyperactivity. No clinically

relevant adverse effects were elicited in either group. CONCLUSIONS: The results

of this study provide preliminary evidence that omega-3 fatty acids may be an

effective treatment for children with autism.