This month (January 2012) Consumer Reports posted an article on their website “Is fish oil right for you?”. In this article the authors suggest that “Although the evidence isn’t overwhelming, the supplements may modestly …… improve the symptoms of ADHD ….. in children.”. Before we jump on the fish oil supplement bandwagon it is important to keep in mind that this finding is based on parent reports (survey data). While such data can be useful it is important to remember that survey data lacks the scientific soundness of controlled research. Therefore, we should not assume that fish oil supplements are a magic bullet for the treatment of ADHD. In fact, Consumer Reports survey data on ADHD treatments found that 67% of parents who gave their children medication rated medication as “helping a lot.” This is in stark contrast to parent ratings on fish oil supplements; only 12% of those who gave such supplements rated them as helping a lot. Finally, it is important to keep in mind that research has consistently shown that medication (primarily stimulant medication) based treatment helps 70-80% of children diagnosed with ADHD.
