OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS AFFECT RISK OF DEPRESSION, INFLAMMATION

COLUMBUS , Ohio – A new study suggests that people whose diets contain dramatically more of one kind of polyunsaturated fatty acid than another may be at greater risk for both clinical depression and certain inflammatory diseases.

The report, published online this week in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, suggests that we need to balance out our intake of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. The current typical American diet contains 20 times more omega-6 than omega-3, a ratio that researchers say should be lowered to 4-to-1, or even 2-to-1.

This is the most recent in a long series of experiments Ohio State University researchers have conducted on the links between psychological stress and immunity. The addition of dietary questions to studies that have previously focused solely on emotional and biochemical markers may yield important new clues about the immune system.

"In this study, we're looking at the intersection of behavior, immune function and diet. In past experiments, we concentrated only on the first two," explained Jan Kiecolt-Glaser, professor of psychiatry and psychology at Ohio State and lead author on the paper.

"It now appears that diet is a very important variable in the equation as to how people respond to depression and stress."

The study, conducted in OSU's Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, focused on a group of 43 middle-aged to elderly men and women, nearly half of which were the caregiver spouses of people with Alzheimer's or other dementias. By including caregivers who typically report greater stress and more depression than similar ad ults who are not caregiving, the researchers could look at how depression and diet might interact to affect inflammation.

Blood samples were drawn from each person in the study and tested for interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor -alpha (TNF-alpha ) and the receptor molecule for IL-6. Participants also completed a survey questionnaire that gauged their level of depression.

The analysis showed that participants who had much more omega-6 -- compared to omega-3 -- fatty acids, and who also were reporting more symptoms of depression, had much higher levels of IL-6 and TNF-alpha, two cytokines which enhance inflammation.

<H3 align=center>"In this study, we're looking at the intersection of behavior, immune function and diet. In past experiments, we concentrated only on the first two. It now appears that diet is a very important variable in the equation as to how people respond to depression and stress."</H3>"The data suggest that higher depression and a poorer diet in terms of omega-3 can work together to promote inflammation. Other researchers have shown that clinically depressed people -- those with more severe depression -- often have lower omega-3 levels in their blood, and several studies have shown that supplementing diets with omega-3 improves depression," Kiecolt-Glaser said, although the reason isn't clear.

"People who are depressed don't eat well, or it might be that there is something about depression that affects how well people process such foods."

In recent years, research has shown that an increase in omega-3 fatty acids in the diet has specific health benefits, especially in patients with depression, cardiovascular disease and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.

Martha Belury, an associate professor of human nutrition, endocrinology, diabetes & metabolism at Ohio State and co-author of the study, said the design of the study was important.

"We looked at people who were experiencing real depression, not those whose depression arose as a part of some experiment, and we could clearly see a relationship between lower omega-3 fatty acids and certain markers of depression and inflammation."

Belury said that current recommendations allow up to two servings each week of cold-water fish – the best source of omega-3 – such as salmon or trout. This would not apply to pregnant women, she said, where concerns are greater about the heavy metal contamination such fish might contain. Omega-3 is also available as nutritional supplements

"This study has shown that even in people who did not take supplements, maybe just a little bit more omega-3, could help reduce their markers for both stress and depression," Belury said.

"The important message for consumers is that they don't have to take mega-doses of omega-3 to have some impact. It might not take a whole lot to have a significant clinical impact," Belury said.

The researchers are now starting a larger, more comprehensive randomized and controlled trial of omega-3 in adults between the ages of 50 and 80 in hopes of testing the questions raised in this pilot study.


Here is a list of foods that I had posted on my refrigerator that helps me to lift my moods somewhat. The list also includes Fish Oil and Cod Liver Oil which are both high in EPA and DHA, essentially, you want the oil that is the HIGHEST IN THESE TWO VALUES and I've found Carlson's Fish Oil to be the best.



Foods concentrated in Omega-3 fatty acids



Food Serving omega-3 % DV Density Quality



Flax seeds 0.25 cups 7.0 g 156.4 17.6 Excellent

Walnuts C 0.25 cup 2.3 g 50.4 6.3 Very good

Chinook salmon, baked/broiled

4.0 oz-wt 2.1 g 46.4 3.6 Very good

Scallops, baked/broiled

4.0 oz-wt 1.1 g 24.4 3.3 Good

Soybeans, cooked 1 cup 1.0 g 22.9 1.6 Good

Halibut, bake/broil 4.0 oz-wt 0.6 g 13.8 1.8 Good

Shrimp, steam, boil4.0 oz-wt 0.4 g 8.2 1.5 Good

Snapper, baked 4.0 oz-wt 0.4 g 8.0 1.1 Good

Tofu, raw 4.0 oz-wt 0.4 g 8.0 1.9 Good

Winter squash 1 cup 0.3 g 7.6 1.9 Good

Tuna, yellowfin 4.0 oz-wt 3 g 7.3 0.9 -

Cod, baked 4.0 oz-wt 0.3 g 7.1 1.2 -

Kidney beans 1 cup 0.3 g 6.7 0.6


I hope that someone finds this information as useful as I have!


Good Luck to Us All Suffering this incideous disease...

TJ

Omega-3 alleviates menopausal symptoms

Two Canadian reports suggest that highly purified ethyl-eicosapentaenoic acid (E-EPA) omega-3 fatty acid supplementation may alleviate hot flushes and psychological distress in middle-aged women. The daily dosage was 1,050 grams in both trials.

The departments of Psychiatry and Obstetrics and Gynecology gynecology at Saint-François d’Assise Hospital (Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec) Canada investigated the effects of enriched ethyl-eicosapentaenoic acid (E-EPA) omega-3 fatty acid supplementation with those of placebo on hot flashes (HFs) and distress among middle-aged women.

Women were considered for participation if they were between 40 and 55 years of age and had hot flushes and moderate to severe psychological distress. A total of 120 women were randomly assigned to E-EPA or placebo for 8 weeks.


Hot Flashes

At baseline, the average number of hot flushes was 2.8 per day. After 8 weeks, the frequency and score decreased significantly in the E-EPA group compared with the placebo group. Frequency of hot flushes declined by a mean of 1.58 per day in the E-EPA group and by 0.50 per day in the placebo group.

“Supplementation with E-EPA omega-3 fatty acid reduced HF frequency and improved the HF score relative to placebo. These results need to be confirmed by a clinical trial specifically designed to evaluate HFs in more symptomatic women”, the authors conclude.


Psychological Distress...

Psychological distress (PD) and depressive symptoms are commonly observed during menopausal transition. Studies suggest that omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids may help alleviate depression. The objective of tris trial was to compare (E-EPA) supplementation with placebo for the treatment of PD and depressive symptoms in middle-aged women.

Women with moderate-to-severe PD (n = 120) were randomly assigned to receive 1.05 g E-EPA/d plus 0.15 g ethyl-docosahexaenoic acid/d (n = 59) or placebo (n = 61) for 8 wk. The main outcomes were 8-wk changes in PD scores [Psychological General Well-Being Schedule (PGWB)] and depressive scales [20-item Hopkins Symptom Checklist Depression Scale (HSCL-D-20) and the 21-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D-21)].

At baseline, women with PD were mildly to moderately depressed, and 24% met the major depressive episode (MDE) criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition. After 8 wk, outcomes improved in both groups, but no significant differences were noted between them. Differences in adjusted 8-wk changes between the E-EPA group with MDE (n = 13) and the placebo group (n = 16) were not significant.

“To our knowledge, this is the first trial of n-3 supplementation in the treatment of PD and depressive symptoms in middle-aged women. In women with PD without MDE at baseline, the 8-wk changes in PD and depressive scales improved significantly more with E-EPA than with placebo”, the authors write (2).

This trial was registered at Controlled Clinical Trials under ISRCTN69617477.

Lucas M, Asselin G, Mérette C, Poulin MJ, Dodin S. Effects of ethyl-eicosapentaenoic acid omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on hot flashes and quality of life among middle-aged women: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial. Menopause. 2008 Nov 20. Abstract

Lucas M, Asselin G, Mérette C, Poulin MJ, Dodin S. Ethyl-eicosapentaenoic acid for the treatment of psychological distress and depressive symptoms in middle-aged women: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Dec 30. PubMed


TJ

Thanks so much TJ for posting this info. Every bit of information helps and reminds me why I need to continue to eat helathy foods and keep taking the Fish Oil.

Bev

Thank you, that's a good reminder - some of my favorite foods, too!

Great post TJ. There's lot of research on this very subject. And a major point that is made in you citation, and others, is that the ratio of Omega 6's is too high in relation to the Omega 3's in the typical American diet. I can't tolerate the fish oil supplements so I get my Omega 3 from my food. Kind Regards, JZZ

Hey Everyone,

I seem to be having more success with them lately... I'm taking both the flax seed (crushing them myself because I found the quality of the already crushed varieties was not the same) and the fish oil and I'm trying to get in tuna for lunch every day. My moods seem to be a bit more stable and I must tell you that this is in the luteal phase of my cycle when I am bedridden...HALLELUJAH!!! I also upped my magnesium and seem to have more energy!

I've been doing more research lately (Andrew Stoll) as well, and I cam across a lot of posts from people suffeirng from depression and bipolar who apparently didin't notice a difference with a "regular" dose, but once they upped their dosage to a therapeutic level (he recommends 1.5-4 grams of EPA for mood disorders). It is also recommended that the fish oil be taken with Vitamin E because fish oil decreases the levels of Vitamin E in the body! They also suggest taking it along with Vitamin C. I've been consuming these first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and they seem to be having more of an impact.



Can omega-3 fatty acids stabilize mood and combat depression?



We all have fat on the brain. Amazingly enough, more than half of the brain's dry weight comes from fat. Some of these fats are the key building blocks of cell membranes and play essential roles in the brain's function. Omega-3 fatty acids, for example, help form cell membranes, keep those membranes flexible, and regulate the flow of hormones and other chemical messengers, which may affect our mood.



Research has suggested that omega-3 fatty acids, or essential fatty acids (EFAs), can help lower triglycerides, slow the hardening of arteries, regulate heartbeat, and lessen the risk of death in people with known heart disease. It's also possible that the omega-3 group may aid in treating depression, according to neuroscientist Andrew L. Stoll, MD, of Harvard Medical School, who has studied the effects of omega-3s on the illness. A few promising studies suggest that natural sources of omega-3s -- especially fish oil -- may help bring mood back into balance. Will fish oil ever join the ranks of Prozac as a remedy for depression? Here's a look at the latest information on omega-3s and the brain.



The case for fish oil

For many years, few scientists cared about the most abundant substance in the brain. Researchers hoping to understand depression usually talked about neurons and hormones and neurotransmitters -- not fats. But fats moved toward the spotlight in 1993 when Stoll, a psychiatrist at Harvard's McLean Hospital, started searching for a new treatment for bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression. Stoll is technically a psychopharmacologist (a psychiatrist specializing in medication treatments), and he knew that the most common drug treatment for bipolar disorder -- lithium -- had saved countless lives. But he also knew that some people with bipolar disorder couldn't tolerate lithium's frustrating side effects: weight gain, tremors, drowsiness, and in some cases a sensation of emotional "flatness." Those who experienced these discomforts often stopped taking the medication, putting themselves at risk of a severe manic episode.



The other medications for bipolar disorder are anticonvulsants (valproate, carbamazepine, gabapentin), which, like lithium, appear to work by stabilizing the membranes of nerve cells known as neurons. Like lithium, the anticonvulsants also have many side effects that lead patients to stop taking them. Working with German researchers, Stoll did an extensive computer search for a compound that was similar in action to lithium and anticonvulsants. After reviewing hundreds of papers, they found one especially good -- if unexpected -- match: fish oil. Like both the available treatments, fish oil worked to stabilize the walls of nerve cells.



"At first our reaction was surprise and disbelief," writes Stoll in his book, The Omega-3 Connection. At the time, only a handful of scientists had suspected that fish oil or any other source of omega-3 fatty acids could act to stabilize mood.



Stoll soon learned a lot more about omega-3s, which are among the essential nutrients humans need to survive but cannot synthesize. These essential nutrients include all vitamins and minerals, eight of the 20 amino acids (including lysine, valine, and luecine), and some (but not all) polyunsaturated fatty acids, including the omega-3 group. Just as a shortage of vitamin C can cause scurvy, there are signs that a shortage of omega-3s can be hard on the brain. A study published in the March 1999 issue of Psychiatry Research found that people suffering major depression tend to have relatively low levels of omega-3s.



What is the research on depression and omega-3s?

Can fish oil ease depression? Stoll believes the answer is a cautious "yes," but is quick to add that more studies are needed. A 2007 review of ten clinical trials studying the effects of omega-3s on depression found a significant anti-depressant effect, but concluded that more large-scale studies are needed. Several teams of researchers are currently testing fish oil as a remedy for depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Until those results come in, the jury on fish oil is still out. Still, the research that has been done to date suggest that omega-3s may have important implications for both depression and our overall health.



One small, preliminary study has already put fish oil to the test as a complementary treatment for bipolar disorder, with promising results. As reported in the May 1999 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, Stoll and colleagues found that large doses of fish oil significantly eased the symptoms of severe bipolar disorder, even in some patients who weren't responding to drug treatment. The study, which measured rates of relapse into mania, involved 30 patients whose symptoms were not abated by their medications. Fourteen of the subjects started taking a hefty 10 grams of fish oil every day, some while using other medications and some using the fish oil alone, while the rest took olive oil.



The study is what is known to scientists as a double-blind, placebo-controlled study -- that is, one set of patients was taking fish oil, while the other set was given a pill that had no physiological effect (a placebo); neither group knew which one they were taking. But after four months of treatment, 11 of the 14 patients taking fish oil capsules reported fewer symptoms of depression, and only two had suffered a manic-depressive episode since the study began. In contrast, only three of the 16 patients taking the olive oil placebo said they felt any better, and nine had major attacks. Researchers stopped the study early, partly because it seemed unethical to withhold fish oil from any of the patients.



In one case, a participant came to the study with a treatment-resistant case of bipolar disorder marked by what Stoll described as violent rages and crime sprees. "When given the opportunity to participate in our fish oil study, he was eager indeed," Stoll writes. "The fish oil was a charm. Participating in our double-blind study, he had no way of knowing whether his capsules contained fish oil or placebo, yet he announced almost immediately that whatever we were giving him, it worked! His mood swings and rages stopped abruptly, and he felt well for the first time in his life. He has remained on fish oil supplements for three years."



The conclusions that may be drawn from Stoll's study, some observers say, are that omega-3s may be useful to bipolar patients as a complement to their traditional mood-stabilizing medications (which are mainly thought to prevent mania and not to prevent depression). Due to the small number of participants in Stoll's research project, however, his results are minimally statistically significant and need to be reproduced in a larger study.



Can I get enough omega-3s just by eating fish?

It's hard to get enough omega-3 fatty acids just by eating a normal diet. Foods that contain them in abundant amounts include salmon and other cold-water fish, wild game, and free-range livestock -- not exactly the most popular items on the typical American's menu.



To get the amount of omega-3s used by Stoll and other researchers in his study, you'd have to eat six to 32 cans of tuna a day -- a fairly unappetizing prospect, no matter how much you like tuna melts. (Since some tuna is contaminated with PCBs and small amounts of heavy metals such as mercury, you'd also put yourself at risk to eat that much.)



That said, eating fish three to four times a week is certainly good for you, and would greatly increase the amount of essential fatty acids in your diet. But for the amount that may be needed for mood stabilization, the most practical way to obtain it would be fish oil or flaxseed oil supplements.



What's the difference between omega-3s and other essential fatty acids?

Essential fatty acids come in two main types: omega-6s, which promote inflammation, which is sometimes necessary to fight invaders in the body; and omega-3s, which decrease inflammation and promote flexible cell membranes. Omega-6s can be found in corn oil and other vegetable and seed oils; omega-3s are in cold-water fish, wild game, walnuts, and certain kinds of seeds and vegetables. Both types are necessary for good health.



It has been estimated that the diet of early humans contained about equal amounts of omega-3s and omega-6s. Unfortunately, with the advent of processed and "fast" food, the modern Western diet is heavily slanted toward omega-6s, typically providing a ratio of 10 or 20 to one. Researchers speculate, in fact, that this imbalance has contributed to inflammatory diseases and a rise in the rates of depression in the United States. Correcting the balance - by increasing omega-3s and/or or decreasing omega-6s - may have a host of health benefits.



Should I take fish oil?

You shouldn't take fish oil capsules for depression or any other condition without consulting a doctor, according to Stoll. He also cautions depressed or bipolar patients not to stop using their medications. That step could cause serious problems, and it must be remembered that fish oil supplements are generally used as an addition to therapy rather than as a replacement. But fish oil may be a welcome addition to current treatments, he adds. If you are depressed, talk with your doctor about omega-3s: You may be able to take fish oil as a valuable adjunct to your therapy.



Aside from the hit to the pocketbook, there's little downside to fish oil supplements. The over-the-counter supplements combine well with most medications, with one notable exception: blood thinners. People taking warfarin (Coumadin), high-dose aspirin, or any other blood thinner should always consult their physicians prior to taking fish oil, since omega-3s also act to temporarily block platelet clumping.



The majority of people taking fish oil supplements develop loose stools, and some experience problematic diarrhea or nausea. (In Stoll's study, 62 percent of the subjects complained of gastrointestinal symptoms, usually loose stools. More than half of the subjects taking the olive oil pills also had gastrointestinal symptoms.) You can help minimize these side effects by taking a small dose with every meal instead of one big dose on an empty stomach. You should also take vitamin C and vitamin E supplements to prevent oxidization of the fatty acids, says Stoll.

A few other cautions: Be sure to read the labels carefully. Cod liver oil or any other oil made from fish liver may increase the risk of vitamin A or D toxicity. Stoll recommends finding fish oil capsules that are highly concentrated in omega-3 fatty acids. Some brands are over 92 percent omega-3s, while others contain only 30 percent. Whatever product you buy, try to ingest one or two grams (1,000 to 2,000 milligrams) of omega-3s every day. The results may surprise you.



-- Chris Woolston, M.S., is a health and medical writer with a master's degree in biology. He is a contributing editor at Consumer Health Interactive, and was the staff writer at Hippocrates, a magazine for physicians. He has also covered science issues for Time Inc. Health, WebMD, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. His reporting on occupational health earned him an award from the northern California Society of Professional Journalists.





TJ



...meant to say once they upped their dosage to a more therapeutic level, they saw major dfferences! The brand is also important, Carlson's is a good one that has been filtered for toxins and so is Twinlab.


TJ