Omega-3 fatty acids — found in salmon, walnuts and kiwi fruit — provide many benefits, including improving learning and memory and helping to fight against such mental disorders as depression and mood disorders, schizophrenia, and dementia.
The body cannot make its own omega-3 fats, they must be taken in through the diet, or in supplement form.
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for normal brain function. Dietary deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids in humans has been associated with increased risk of several mental disorders, including attention-deficit disorder, dyslexia, dementia, depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
Children who had increased amounts of omega-3 fatty acids performed better in school, in reading and in spelling and had fewer behavioral problems, says Fernando Gómez-Pinilla, a UCLA professor of neurosurgery and physiological science.
Getting omega-3 fatty acids from food rather than from capsule supplements can be more beneficial, providing additional nutrients.
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