Following a diet with sufficient amounts of unsaturated fatty acids would be a good strategy for healthy brain development. Specifically, a team of researchers from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) has discovered that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a type of omega-3 fatty acid, could improve the capacity for selective and sustained attention in adolescents.
But that’s not the end of it, and the authors went a step further, and found that another omega 3 fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), was associated with less impulsivity in this age group. During adolescence, functional and structural changes occur in the brain, especially located in the prefrontal area, which is responsible for controlling attention.
Unsaturated fatty acids of the omega 3 type are very important for the brain to develop and function properly, in addition, DHA, which is obtained by eating fatty fish, is the most abundant in the prefrontal area, so it would be the most suitable for improve attention span. The research has been published in the journal European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
Experts recommend eating fatty fish for the brain
To verify this, the researchers analyzed 332 adolescents from various schools in Barcelona who took computerized tests that measured reaction times to determine the capacity for sustained and selective attention, inhibition in the face of distractions, and impulsivity. In addition, they reported their diets and underwent blood tests in which the levels of ALA and DHA in red blood cells were measured.
Adolescents with higher levels of DHA had more selective and sustained attention, and those with more ALA had less impulsivity
The results showed that those who had higher levels of DHA showed a greater capacity for selective and sustained attention and inhibitory attention. ALA, on the other hand, had no notable effect on attention but was associated with lower impulsivity in adolescents.
“The role of ALA in attention is not yet clear, but this finding may be clinically relevant, since impulsivity is a characteristic of various psychiatric conditions, such as ADHD,” said Ariadna Pinar-Martí, principal investigator of the study. . In addition, Jordi Júlvez, coordinator of the work, has concluded that “our study indicates that DHA in the diet most likely plays a role in tasks that require attention, but more studies are needed to confirm a cause-effect, particularly to understand the role of the ALA”.
All this makes more solid the recommendations that encourage consuming more fatty fish, which are the main source of DHA, during adolescence, because, as we have said, it is the stage in which the brain is in full development before moving on to adulthood. .
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