Fish Oil Depression -- Omega-3 Fatty acids
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 the 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....
Read about the symptoms of depression...
Fish Oil Depression -- 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-plankton. The colder sea-water is, the more omega-3 fatty
acid content of the plankton. 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.
Read about Magnesium for Depression...
Fish Oil Depression -- 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
play an important role in many vital functions of the body as, in
the regulation of blood pressure, blood coagulation, immune
responses, inflammation processes and mood swings:
-
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.
Read about Vitamins for Depression...
What are omega-3 fatty acids good for?
They help to prevent and fight several acute and chronic ailments:
-
rheumatoid arthritis
-
Crohn syndrome
-
Raynaud syndrome
-
skin psoriasis, lupus erythematodes
-
heart and cardiovascular diseases (heart attack, stroke, arteriosclerosis, arrhythmia, 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.
Read about Depression Diet ...
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 the most effective?
You can find several forms of Omega-3 supplements on the market, as:
-
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 depression. High quality refined EPA supplements are
probably the best choice of natural cures for depression.
Fish Oil Depression -- 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 depression symptoms have disappeared stay on a maintenance dose of at least 500mg a day.
I had struggled with “clinical depression” for over ten years, starting at age 25. I alternately tried Prozac and St. John’s Wort. Although both gave me some relief from my depression, I hated the side effects and eventually quit taking both. When I was in my late 30s, I became pregnant and started taking fish oil, as I had read somewhere that it might help the fetus. After approximately two weeks, I started feeling down right giddy! This continued for several days (longer than any previous “manic” episode I had experienced, not to mention that I simply felt normal for the first time in over ten years) and I started trying to think what I was doing differently. The only thing I could think of was the daily fish oil!Mary
So, all in all use fish oil for depression!
the Top 7, the most comprehensive and extensive collection of natural antidepressants:
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Aromatherapy for Depression
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