CLINICAL STUDIES OF DEPLETION OF OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS IN ASSOCIATION WITH CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM DISORDERS

Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2003 Aug;13(4):267-71.
Erratum in: Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2004 Mar;14(2):173.

Omega-3 fatty acids in major depressive disorder. A preliminary double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Su KP, Huang SY, Chiu CC, Shen WW.

Department of Psychiatry, China Medical College Hospital, No. 2, Yuh-Der Road, Taichung 404, Taiwan. cobol@www.cmch.org.tw

Patients with depression have been extensively reported to be associated with the abnormality of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), including significantly low eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid in cell tissue contents (red blood cell membrane, plasma, etc.) and dietary intake. However, more evidence is needed to support its relation. In this study, we conducted an 8-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, comparing omega-3 PUFAs (6.6 g/day) [corrected] with placebo, on the top of the usual treatment, in 28 patients with major depressive disorder. Patients in the omega-3 PUFA group had a significantly decreased score on the 21-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression than those in the placebo group (P < 0.001). From the preliminary findings in this study, omega-3 PUFAs could improve the short-term course of illness and were well tolerated in patients with major depressive disorder.

PMID: 12888186 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Am J Psychiatry. 2003 Dec;160(12):2222-7.

Cross-national comparisons of seafood consumption and rates of bipolar disorders.

Noaghiul S, Hibbeln JR.

New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, USA.

OBJECTIVE: The authors sought to determine if greater seafood consumption, a measure of omega-3 fatty acid intake, is associated with lower prevalence rates of bipolar disorder in community samples.
METHOD: Lifetime prevalence rates in various countries for bipolar I disorder, bipolar II disorder, bipolar spectrum disorder, and schizophrenia were identified from population-based epidemiological studies that used similar methods. These epidemiological studies used structured diagnostic interviews with similar diagnostic criteria and were population based with large sample sizes. Simple linear and nonlinear regression analyses were used to compare these prevalence data to differences in apparent seafood consumption, an economic measure of disappearance of seafood from the economy.
RESULTS: Simple exponential decay regressions showed that greater seafood consumption predicted lower lifetime prevalence rates of bipolar I disorder, bipolar II disorder, and bipolar spectrum disorder. Bipolar II disorder and bipolar spectrum disorder had an apparent vulnerability threshold below 50 lb of seafood/person/year. The absence of a correlation between lifetime prevalence rates of schizophrenia and seafood consumption suggests a specificity to affective disorders.
CONCLUSIONS: These data describe a robust correlational relationship between greater seafood consumption and lower prevalence rates of bipolar disorders. These data provide a cross-national context for understanding ongoing clinical intervention trials of omega-3 fatty acids in bipolar disorders.

PMID: 14638594 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2002 Jan;66(1):83-90.

Eicosapentaenoic acid and arachidonic acid: collaboration and not antagonism is the key to biological understanding.

Horrobin DF, Jenkins K, Bennett CN, Christie WW.

Laxdale Ltd, King Park House, LaurelhiIl Business Park, Stirling FK7 9JQ, Scotland. agreen@laxdale.co.uk

Much of the literature on omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids suggests that desirable effects of omega-3 fatty acids are in part related to depletion of arachidonic acid (AA). However, in rats and humans, we have found that low doses of EPA actually elevate membrane AA phospholipid concentrations. In patients with schizophrenia, treatment with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) produced clinical improvement, but that improvement was greater at a dose of 2 g/day than at 4 g/day. The improvement was not significantly correlated with changes in either EPA or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) but was highly significantly positively correlated with rises in red cell membrane AA. We suggest that elevation of concentrations of both AA and EPA in cell membranes may be important for health. Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

PMID: 12051959 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Public Health Nutr. 2002 Jun;5(3):427-31.

Fish consumption and self-reported physical and mental health status.

Silvers KM, Scott KM.

New Zealand Institute for Crop & Food Research, Private Bag 11600, Palmerston North, New Zealand. silversk@crop.cri.nz

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess whether self-reported mental health status, measured using the SF-36 questionnaire, was associated with fish consumption, assessed using a food-frequency questionnaire. DESIGN: The cross-national data were collected in the 1996/97 New Zealand Health Survey and 1997 Nutrition Survey, which were conducted using the same sampling frame. Survey respondents were categorized into those who consumed no fish of any kind and those who consumed some kind of fish, at any frequency. Data were adjusted for age, household income, eating patterns, alcohol use and smoking. Other demographic variables and potential confounding nutrients were included in the preliminary analyses but were not found to have a significant relationship with fish consumption. SUBJECTS: Data from a nationally representative sample of 4644 New Zealand adults aged 15 years and over were used in this analysis. RESULTS: Fish consumption was significantly associated with higher self-reported mental health status, even after adjustment for possible confounders. Differences between the mean scores for fish eaters and those who never eat fish were 8.2 for the Mental Health scale and 7.5 for the Mental Component score. Conversely, the association between fish consumption and physical functioning was in the opposite direction. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first cross-sectional survey to demonstrate a significant relationship between fish intake and higher self-reported mental health status, therefore offering indirect support for the hypothesis that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may act as mood stabilizers.

PMID: 12003654 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Psychiatr Serv. 2001 Apr;52(4):529-31.

Fish consumption and depressive symptoms in the general population in Finland.

Tanskanen A, Hibbeln JR, Tuomilehto J, Uutela A, Haukkala A, Viinamaki H, Lehtonen J, Vartiainen E.

Department of Psychiatry, University of Kuopio, Finland. antti.tanskanen@kuh.fi

Fish contains high concentrations of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Several studies have reported depletions of omega-3 fats among depressed patients, and a cross-national comparison has revealed a significant inverse correlation between annual prevalence of major depression and fish consumption. In a sample of 3,204 Finnish adults, depressive symptoms were estimated with the Beck Depression Inventory. A frequency question was used to measure fish consumption. Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the association between depression and fish consumption. After the analysis adjusted for potential confounders, the likelihood of having depressive symptoms was significantly higher among infrequent fish consumers than among frequent consumers.

PMID: 11274502 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Nutr Rev. 2000 Apr;58(4):98-108.

Dieting, essential fatty acid intake, and depression.

Bruinsma KA, Taren DL.

University of Arizona College of Public Health, Tucson 85724, USA.

Studies have both supported and contested the proposition that lowering plasma cholesterol by diet and medications contributes to depression. Evidence suggests that an imbalance in the ratio of the essential fatty acids (EFAs), namely the n-6 and n-3 fatty acids, and/or a deficiency in n-3 fatty acids, may be responsible for the heightened depressive symptoms associated with low plasma cholesterol. These relationships may explain the inconsistent findings in trials of cholesterol-lowering interventions and depression. Dieting behaviors have similarly been associated with alterations in mood state. This review discusses studies of EFAs and depression and explores the involvement of dieting-related psychological factors as potential confounders.

PMID: 10835899 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Biol Psychiatry. 1998 Mar 1;43(5):315-9.

Depletion of omega-3 fatty acid levels in red blood cell membranes of depressive patients.

Peet M, Murphy B, Shay J, Horrobin D.

University Department of Psychiatry, Sheffield, United Kingdom.

BACKGROUND: It has been hypothesized that depletion of cell membrane n3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), particularly docosahexanoic acid (DHA), may be of etiological importance in depression. METHODS: We measured the fatty acid composition of phospholipid in cell membranes from red blood cells (RBC) of 15 depressive patients and 15 healthy control subjects. RESULTS: Depressive patients showed significant depletions of total n3 PUFA and particularly DHA. Incubation of RBC from control subjects with hydrogen peroxide abolished all significant differences between patients and controls. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that RBC membranes in depressive patients show evidence of oxidative damage. Possible interpretations, and implications for the etiology and treatment of depression, are discussed.

PMID: 9513745 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

J Affect Disord 1998 Mar; 48(2-3):149-55

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid levels in the diet and in red blood cell membranes of depressed patients.

Edwards R, Peet M, Shay J, Horrobin D.

University Department of Psychiatry, University of Sheffield, UK.

BACKGROUND: There is a hypothesis that lack of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) is of aetiological importance in depression. Docosahexaenoic acid, a member of the n-3 PUFA family, is a crucial component of synaptic cell membranes. The aim of this study was to measure RBC membrane fatty acids in a group of depressed patients relative to a well matched healthy control group. METHOD: Red blood cell (RBC) membrane levels, and dietary PUFA intake were measured in 10 depressed patients and 14 matched healthy control subjects. RESULTS: There was a significant depletion of RBC membrane n-3 PUFAs in the depressed subjects which was not due to reduced calorie intake. Severity of depression correlated negatively with RBC membrane levels and with dietary intake of n-3 PUFAs. CONCLUSION: Lower RBC membrane n-3 PUFAs are associated with the severity of depression. LIMITATIONS: Although patient numbers were small, confounding factors were well controlled for and the results were highly significant. Results of the dietary data would tend to be weakened due to the limitations associated with dietary assessment. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The findings raise the possibility that depressive symptoms may be alleviated by n-3 PUFA supplementation.

PMID: 9543204 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Lipids. 1996 Mar;31 Suppl:S157-61.

Arachidonic acid to eicosapentaenoic acid ratio in blood correlates positively with clinical symptoms of depression.

Adams PB, Lawson S, Sanigorski A, Sinclair AJ.

Central Region Mental Health Service, Rockhampton Base Hospital, Queensland, Australia.

In this study of 20 moderately to severely depressed patients, diagnosed using current research diagnostic criteria and excluding known bipolar affective disorder and reactive depression, we investigated relationships between severity of depression and levels and ratios of n-3 and n-6 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in plasma and erythrocyte phospholipids (PL). Severity of depression was measured using the 21-item Hamilton depression rating scale (HRS) and a second linear rating scale (LRS) of severity of depressive symptoms that omitted anxiety symptoms. There was a significant correlation between the ratio of erythrocyte PL arachidonic acid (AA) to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and severity of depression as rated by the HRS (P < 0.05) and the LRS for depression (P < 0.01). There was also a significant negative correlation between erythrocyte EPA and the LRS (P < 0.05). The AA/EPA ratio in plasma PL and the ratio of erythrocyte long-chain (C20 and C22 carbon) n-6 to long-chain n-3 PUFA were also significantly correlated with the LRS (P < 0.05). These findings do not appear to be simply explained by differences in dietary intake of EPA. We cannot determine whether the high ratios of AA/EPA in both plasma and erythrocyte PL are the result of depression or whether tissue PUFA change predate the depressive symptoms. We suggest, however, that our findings provide a basis for studying the effect of the nutritional supplementation of depressed subjects, aimed at reducing the AA/EPA ratio in tissues and severity of depression.

PMID: 8729112 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

J Affect Disord. 1996 Apr 26;38(1):35-46.

Fatty acid composition in major depression: decreased omega 3 fractions in cholesteryl esters and increased C20: 4 omega 6/C20:5 omega 3 ratio in cholesteryl esters and phospholipids.

Maes M, Smith R, Christophe A, Cosyns P, Desnyder R, Meltzer H.

Clinical Research Center, University Department of Psychiatry, Antwerp, Belgium.

Recently, there were some reports that major depression may be accompanied by alterations in serum total cholesterol, cholesterol ester and omega 3 essential fatty acid levels and by an increased C20: 4 omega 6/C20: 5 omega 3, i.e., arachidonic acid/eicosapentaenoic, ratio. The present study aimed to examine fatty acid composition of serum cholesteryl esters and phospholipids in 36 major depressed, 14 minor depressed and 24 normal subjects. Individual saturated (e.g., C14:0; C16:0, C18:0) and unsaturated (e.g., C18:1, C18:2, C20:4) fatty acids in phospholipid and cholesteryl ester fractions were assayed and the sums of the percentages of omega 6 and omega 3, saturated, branched chain and odd chain fatty acids, monoenes as well as the ratios omega 6/omega 3 and C20:4 omega 6/C20:5 omega 3 were calculated. Major depressed subjects had significantly higher C20:4 omega 6/C20:5 omega 3 ratio in both serum cholesteryl esters and phospholipids and a significantly increased omega 6/omega 3 ratio in cholesteryl ester fraction than healthy volunteers and minor depressed subjects. Major depressed subjects had significantly lower C18:3 omega 3 in cholesteryl esters than normal controls. Major depressed subjects showed significantly lower total omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in cholesteryl esters and significantly lower C20:5 omega 3 in serum cholesteryl esters and phospholipids than minor depressed subjects and healthy controls. These findings suggest an abnormal intake or metabolism of essential fatty acids in conjunction with decreased formation of cholesteryl esters in major depression.

PMID: 8735157 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

* These statements on newlifenutra.com website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This product is not intended to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease.
Copyright , New Life Nutraceuticals, LLC
Site creation by CompTutor