"Nutrition & Mental Health"

Mounting evidence suggests that a relative lack of certain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) may contribute to related neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders such as dyslexia and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Fatty acid supplementation may offer a safe efficacious treatment option for educational and behavioural problems among children with developmental coordination disorder. There is increasing evidence that fatty acid deficiencies or imbalances may contribute to childhood neurodevelopmental disorders. There is preliminary evidence that omega-3 fatty acids may be an effective treatment for children with autism. Bioactive lipids, in particular arachidonic acid, are vital for monoaminergic neurotransmission, brain development and synaptic plasticity. Recent supplementation trials suggest that purified ethyl-eicosapentaenoic acid (E-EPA) is a modestly effective augmentation treatment resulting in reduced doses of antipsychotic medication in acutely ill patients with schizophrenia. EPA may be an effective and well-tolerated add-on treatment in schizophrenia. E-EPA might accelerate treatment response and improved the tolerability of antipsychotic medications in first-episode psychosis. Given that omega-3 PUFAs are generally beneficial to health and without clinically relevant adverse effects, their preventive use in psychosis merits investigation. Long-chain omega-3 PUFAs reduce the risk of progression to psychotic disorder and may offer a safe and efficacious strategy for indicated prevention in young people with subthreshold psychotic states.