Depression Help

Omega-3 fatty acids are a family of polyunsaturated fatty acids which have in common a carbon-carbon double bond in the ω-3 position.

What We Know About Omega-3:

In 1996, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study comparing the prevalence of depression across ten nations. The survey yielded eye-opening results in showing how the lifetime and annual rates for depression vary widely from country to country (eg 1.5 in every 100 adults in Taiwan experience depression in their lifetimes while the figure is 19 for every 100 adults in Beirut). A 1998 study published in The Lancet compared this data with fish consumption, finding the higher consuming populations experienced less depression.

A 2003 study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry compared similar cross-national epidemiological data - this time involving bipolar disorder - and seafood consumption, again finding a strong correlation.

The working ingredient of fish oil is omega-3, a polyunsaturated fatty acid which is also found in certain plants such as flaxseed, pumpkin seed, and walnuts. According to Joseph Hibbeln MD of the NIH, who authored the two fish-consumption studies: "In the last century, [Western] diets have radically changed and we eat grossly fewer omega-3 fatty acids now. We also know that rates of depression have radically increased by perhaps a hundred-fold."

Dr Hibbeln noted:

1. Infant monkeys fed baby formula supplemented with omega-3 are stronger and more alert even at less than a week than monkeys given standard baby formula.
2. Depression is 60 times higher in New Zealand, where the average consumption of seafood is 40 pounds a year compared to Japan, where a person consumes nearly 150 pounds of seafood a year.
3. Postpartum depression is 50 times more common in countries with low levels of seafood consumption. During pregnancy, a woman’s body becomes depleted of fatty acids, which are transferred to the fetus.
4. Omega-3 seems to be critical to the growth and maintenance of brain cells, especially cell membranes.
5. When omega-3 is not available, the body uses omega-6, which produces cell membranes less able to cope with neurotransmitter traffic.
6. And of course the famous 1999 Harvard pilot study.

We eat far greater amounts of other damaging fatty acids. A healthy diet should provide for at least five grams daily of essential fatty acids, divided between omega-3 and omega6.

A quick Medline search turns up several studies that show depleted omega-3 levels in the blood, cell membranes, and brains of depressed patients, suggesting that an intake of omega-3 could help reverse the process, though this has yet to be proved in large-scale clinical trials

Finally:

Whether as fish or flax oil, omega-3 has a blood thinning effect, but this is weaker than aspirin. Please notify your doctor before you use the two together, and stop taking if you feel any ill effects.

Finally, keep in mind that although omega-3 looks like a promising way to treat depression and bipolar disorder, there are no major clinical trials to guide us. We are barely aware of its putative efficacy, much less its optimal dosage, much less how it actually works on the brain. Accordingly, omega-3 should be considered a complement to medications rather than a replacement, and should not be taken without first consulting your doctor or psychiatrist.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, May 20th, 2007 at 7:32 am and is filed under Depression. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.