Fish Oil Depression

It may sound weird, but there is a strong connection between the daily fish consumption and depression. Scientist first became interested when they noticed that countries with the highest fish consumption had the lowest rates of depression. They also observed that mothers in England who ate very little fish during pregnancy, doubled their risk of developing postpartum depression compared to women who ate fish regularly. So a series of studies have began.
Study after study has suggested benefits for omega-3 fatty acids, which are plentiful in certain fish oils. Many small studies have suggested that fish oil can help smooth out the mood swings of bipolar depression. Researchers found, that omega-3 fatty acids raised levels of the important neurotransmitter, serotonin in the brain. Maybe there is a connection between Omega-3 and depression....

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What are omega-3 fatty acids?

Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated oils, that cannot be made by the body and are derived primarily from seafood. But even cold water ocean fish are not able to produce omega-3 fatty acids, they get them from their food, as sea-planktons. The colder sea-water is, the more omega-3 fatty acid content of the planktons. The two most effective omega-3 fatty acids are EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexanic acid). They are found in generous amount in cold sea water fish, as tuna, salmon, mackerel or sardines. The third effective omega-3 fatty acid is ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) comes from some plants, as flaxseed, pumpkin seed and walnuts.

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Where are they found in our body?

They are important components of the cell-membranes, which surround the cells of our body. Cell-membranes are made up partly of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3's are particularly important for our nerve-cells, the neurons. They seems to be critical to the growth and maintenance of brain cells, especially cell-membranes. It is possible that increasing the omega-3 levels makes it easier for serotonin to pass through cell-membranes.
Omega-3 fatty acids can be found all over our body, however they are highly concentrated in the brain.

What are the effects of omega-3 fatty acids?

• they work as natural blood-thinners, prevent the coagulation of blood-platelets and the formation of blood clots
• they widen the blood vessels (arteries) and lower blood pressure
• they have a positive effect on heart function and regulate heart beat
• they calm different types of inflammations in the skin, gut or joints
• they have a positive effect on brain functions, mood problems and can even help to produce new nerve cells.

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What are omega-3 fatty acids good for?

• rheumatoid arthritis
• Crohn syndrome
• Raynaud syndrome
• skin psoriasis, lupus erythematodes
• heart and cardiovascular diseases (heart attack, stroke, atherosclerosis, arrytmias, high blood pressure, deep vein thrombosis)
• cancer 
• depression, manic-depression (bipolar disorder), Attention Deficit Disorder, aggressive behaviour, Alzheimer's disease.

According to different studies the treatment with omega-3 fatty acid supplements resulted improvement in several symptoms of depression, including anxiety, sleeping problems, sadness, decreased sexual desire and suicidal tendencies. They can clear the symptoms of depression within three or four weeks.
It seems that depressed people have lower-than-normal levels of one type of omega-3 fatty acid, known as EPA, which plays an important role in maintaining normal brain function. Brain scans reveal that EPA helps regenerate the brain, and is also thought to stimulate stem cells into producing new nerve cells. EPA greatly improves overall brain performance and helps even regrow some parts of the brain.

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Do I need supplements?

The most beneficial form of Omega-3's - containing two fatty acids, EPA and DHA which are essential in preventing and fighting both physical and mental illnesses - can be found only in fish. However, consuming a lot of fish is not too safe any more, since fish of all varieties from any waters are often showing dangerously high levels of the very toxic, tasteless heavy-metal, mercury and different pesticides. If you are healthy and need only prevention eating 2-3 times a week farm-raised fish, can be sufficient. But, to fight any kind of above mentioned illnesses you need good quality supplementation. Food for depression is not enough.

What kind of supplements are most effective?

• cod liver oil: is a kind of fish oil containing high amounts of natural vitamin A and D. It is useful for prevention in a healthy person during the winter months, when the lack of sunlight lowers blood vitamin D levels. However in higher doses cod liver oil might cause vitamin A toxicity, so be cautious with the dosage.
• fish oil: contains a mixture of different Omega-3 fatty acids without vitamin A and D. Some naturopaths suggest taking fish oil supplements during the summer months and cod liver oil during the winter months (when our exposure to the sun is minimal).
• EPA supplements: EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) is the most effective type of Omega-3 fatty acids, the active ingredient of fish oil for the treatment of depression. High quality refined EPA supplements are probably the best choice of depression cure.

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What is the effective dosage?

According to different studies: refined EPA supplements in a daily dose of 1 gram are the most effective in the treatment of mood disorders. If you take fish oil supplements the daily dose can be higher up to 3 grams a day. Take the supplements always with meal.
When the symptoms have disappeared stay on a maintenance dose of at least 500mg a day.

So, all in all use fish oil for depression!

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