Scientific Institute IRCSS E. Medea, Unit of Child Psychopathology, 23842 Bosisio Parini, Italy.
Department of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 20123 Milan, Italy.
Biomolecules. 2023 Feb 15;13(2):368. doi: 10.3390/biom13020368.
Lower levels of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been described in individuals with reading difficulties, but the degree and the nature of such deficiencies as well as the role of nutrition are a matter of debate. The aim of the present study was to investigate the associations between PUFA blood levels, nutritional status, and reading/writing/phonological awareness performances in 42 school-age children with varying levels of reading ability. Significant correlations were found between PUFA levels (specific omega-6/omega-3 ratios), the ratio of omega-6-derived calories to the total amount of calories and reading scores. Mediation analysis showed a mediating effect of fatty acids on the association between reading speed scores and nutritional status. Moderation analysis, moreover, showed that the associations of omega-6/omega-3 ratios in the blood and Kcal omega-6/Kcal total in dietary intake were moderated by reading speed performances. Results of the mediation and moderation models confirm that the associations of dietary intake with PUFA levels in the blood vary depending on learning abilities. Reading skills appear to be sensitive to the effects of a complex set of favorable conditions related to the presence of higher omega-3 blood levels. These conditions may reflect the action of dietary as well as genetic and epigenetic mechanisms.
已有研究表明阅读困难个体的ω-3 多不饱和脂肪酸（PUFA）水平较低，但此类不足的程度和性质以及营养的作用仍存在争议。本研究旨在调查 42 名不同阅读能力的学龄儿童的血液 PUFAs 水平、营养状况与阅读/写作/语音意识表现之间的关系。研究发现，PUFA 水平（特定的 ω-6/ω-3 比值）、ω-6 衍生卡路里与总卡路里的比值与阅读分数呈显著相关。中介分析表明，脂肪酸对阅读速度分数与营养状况之间的关联具有中介作用。此外，调节分析表明，血液中的 ω-6/ω-3 比值和饮食摄入中 ω-6 卡路里/总卡路里的 Kcal 值与阅读速度之间的关联受到阅读速度表现的调节。中介和调节模型的结果证实，饮食摄入与血液中 PUFAs 水平的关联因学习能力而异。阅读技能似乎对与更高的 ω-3 血液水平相关的一系列有利条件的影响敏感。这些条件可能反映了饮食以及遗传和表观遗传机制的作用。
