Omega 3 fish oil and its effect on mood and mental function

Copyright 2006 David McEvoy

If you have lost your joie de vivre, then there is every
chance that you are deficient in the essential fatty acids
required for regulating mood and for efficient functioning
of the brain. It is now well documented that insufficient
Omega 3 fatty acids in the diet not only leads to an
increased risk of developing physical health problems like
heart disease and atherosclerosis, but also to mood and
learning related disorders.

Studies show that people who are suffering from depression,
bipolar disorder, ADHD, ADD, postnatal depression, PMS,
dyslexia and many other mood and learning related disorders
have low levels of the essential Omega 3 fatty acids in
their blood. High levels of the equally essential but over
abundant Omega 6 fatty acids have also been found. This
imbalance can turn out to be extremely debilitating for
some, or it could simply mean low moods, an inability to
concentrate and focus, irritability and a general feeling
of malaise for others.

Over the past 70 years or so, we have dramatically
increased our consumption of Omega 6 and all but
annihilated our intake of Omega 3 and the staggering
reality is that very few of us are actually getting the
amount of Omega 3 we need. Fish oil contains the Omega 3
fatty acids Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic
acid (DHA), both of which are vital for healthy brain
development and function. Putting physical health problems
aside, those of us who have low blood levels of Omega 3 are
more likely to adopt a negative outlook on life, to behave
impulsively and to feel depressed according to researchers
at the University of Pittsburgh.

It stands to reason that if we increase our intake of Omega
3 fatty acids in the form of fish oil, then we might be
able to improve mood and reduce, eliminate or even prevent
many of the symptoms associated with a lack of these fatty
acids. And this is exactly what researchers have found.

What the research says…

• According to a study led by Lawrence Whalley, a mental
health professor at Aberdeen University, fish oil appears
to help the brain to work faster, it increases IQ scores
and slows down the ageing process by reducing inflammation.

• The Durham trials led by Dr Madeleine Portwood have
consistently shown that fish oil with a high EPA content
improves behaviour, concentration and learning resulting in
better grades at school. • Adelaide University, who also
used high EPA fish oil, claimed it to be an effective
treatment for ADHD.

• Research led by Dr Andrew Stoll looked at the effect of
Omega 3 fatty acids on Bipolar disorder and found that fish
oil reduced the severity of the symptoms.

• Hibbeln et al found a direct link between lower fish
consumption and the risk of developing postnatal depression
and that research spanned 22 countries.

• An Italian study by Fontani et al concluded that Omega 3
supplementation improves complex cortical processing with
improvements in mood and a reduction in anger, anxiety and
depression

These examples represent only a fraction of the studies
conducted but they demonstrate just how effective fish oil
can be in positively influencing mood and mental
functioning.

But one of the biggest studies to date on the effect of
Omega 3 fatty acids on depression was conducted by Malcolm
Peet at Sheffield University who found that ethyl-EPA, a
highly concentrated and purified form of the Omega 3 fatty
acid EPA, dramatically reduced depression. He, along with
a growing number of others, now believe that EPA is the
fatty acid primarily responsible for the profound effect on
mood and brain functioning and not DHA as once was thought.

EPA versus DHA

Although we need both EPA and DHA equally, as Ralph Holman,
an expert on fatty acids once said "DHA is structure and
EPA is function". We need DHA for the proper development
of the brain during pregnancy and through the first few
years of life, but the rest of the time we need EPA for the
brain to function efficiently. Some research has also
indicated that the presence of DHA might actually interfere
with the beneficial properties of EPA making it somewhat
less effective than fish oil with a very high EPA content.

How EPA works

No one yet knows exactly how EPA works, but it is believed
to reduce inflammation, thin the blood, increase serotonin
levels, and improve blood flow to the brain leading to
greater inter-connectivity in the neural networks. EPA and
other fatty acids we consume compete with each other to be
converted into eicosanoids. These hormone-like compounds
will either be pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory
depending on the type of fatty acid that dominated at the
time, for example, Omega 3 or Omega 6.

As EPA is constantly being used up as it were, we need to
replenish our supplies in order to inhibit overproduction
of pro-inflammatory eicosanoids, which is known to put us
at greater risk of depression and other health problems.
Conclusion

Fish oil may not be a panacea for mental health problems,
but there is little doubt that supplementing with fish oil
high in EPA has the ability to improve mental functioning
and to make a profound difference to the symptoms
associated with mood related conditions like depression.

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Dave mcevoy is an award winning personal trainer with over
20 years experience; he also owns high quality health
supplement websites. http://www.mind1st.co.uk
http://www.mind1st.com