Fish oil was the first supplement I began experimenting with a few years ago. After a visit to the doctor I found out I wasn't only near sighted, but I also had chronic dry eye. My doctor recommended that I take a capsule of fish oil everyday. I didn't put much thought into it and just picked up an economy bottle for a good price at Walgreens the next time I was in the pharmacy. I took 1000 mg of fish oil for a couple of years without ever thinking about it or noticing any benefit. Then in February of 2010 I read Marya Hornbacher's Book "Madness: A Bipolar Life" and in the conclusion she mentions that she takes high doses of fish oil. (Marya's genius deserves her own blog, so I'm sure I'll post about her when she publishes her new book next month!) This prompted me to explore the fish oil route so I went down to my local vitamin store and asked about fish oil. I was in for a surprise as there was an entire section just for omegas, flax, cod liver and coconut oils. I bought what the hippie girl behind the cash register recommended and started taking 3000 mg that afternoon.
Boy was I surprised! I started feeling better immediately. What I learned soon later was that the fish oil I had purchased was a much better quality oil than the stuff I was getting at Walgreens. After some research I learned that there are two primary fatty acids in fish oils that give them their magical benefit. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) I also realized that the capsules I had been buying only had about 300 mg of these acids per a serving of two capsules and the rest of capsule was filler like sardine oil. The new capsules I had bought had 600 mg of these acids per serving. I was also taking 3 capsules of the super potent fish oil instead of 1 cap of the weak stuff. My research went further and eventually found that the eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) was the particular acid that scientist thought had the most benefit for people with depression. I found a supplement called "Omega Mood" that had a 1000 mg of EPA and 150 mg DHA per serving. I've started taking two caps per day and the benefits are undeniable.
Here is a great article pulled from Medscape that suggest omegas can be effective in treating several mood disorders.
We start off with the interesting fact that over 60% of the dry weight of the brain is composed of lipids whose role in the CNS is structural (eg, neuronal membranes) or functional (eg, membrane-bound receptors and associated neurotransmitter functioning).[2] Essential fatty acid metabolism can influence many aspects of brain development, including neuronal migration, axonal and dendritic growth, and the creation, remodeling, and pruning of synaptic connections.[3] Because humans cannot synthesize certain essential fatty acids, notably omega-3 fatty acids, these must come from the diet.
Epidemiologic data suggest that populations that consume large amounts of fish, such as the Japanese, appear to have relatively low rates of major depression.[4] A study of 3403 men and women in Finland correlated the likelihood of depression symptoms on the 21-item Beck Depression Inventory with frequency of fish consumption. There was a 31% increase in the odds ratio of having mild to severe depression symptoms among infrequent (less than once a week) fish consumers compared with frequent (at least once a week) users.[5]
In addition, rates of depression are high and increasing in parts of the world (eg, United States and Western Europe) where changes in agriculture and food technology have shifted diets away from omega-3 fatty acids toward the physiologically competitive omega-6 fatty acids (from commercial and processed vegetable oils). Also, depression is often comorbid with various medical disorders, such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and inflammatory disorders. It has been suggested that impaired fatty acid and phospholipid metabolism underlie both depression and comorbid medical problems.[6]
The best clinical trial of omega-3 fatty acids for treatment of affective disorder involved adult outpatients with bipolar disorder. These patients, in addition to their ongoing usual treatment, received either a supplement of omega-3 fatty acids or an olive oil placebo. The source of the omega-3 fatty acids for this placebo-controlled, double-blind trial was menhaden fish body oil concentrate. Nine (64.3%) of the 14 patients treated with omega-3 fatty acids responded to treatment, compared with 3 (18.8%) of the 16 placebo-treated subjects (P = .02). Since that study was completed, the same authors also reported treating another 22 bipolar patients with open-label flaxseed oil, which is also an omega-3 fatty acid source. Eighteen of the 22 bipolar patients treated with the flaxseed oil appeared to benefit, with many patients reporting a distinct mood-elevating effect from the flaxseed oil supplement.
For the full article go to:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/409997
You may be promted to create a free account to view the article.
For the wikipedia page on Omega 3's:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega-3_fatty_acid
Here is another great article about Omega's:
http://www.mcmanweb.com/omega3.html
I've linked some of my favorite fish oil products here:
Barlean's Fish Oil
http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=232105&catid=2652
Country Life Omega Mood
http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3922789&CAWELAID=441772264
I'll conclude my blog by saying I think everyone should take an Omega 3 product. I definitely feel a sharpness as if I'm a little more intelligent and I also have a much brighter mood. I seem a little more confident and I'm able to let things that I would usually ruminate over just be as they are. Perhaps this is the result of my full cocktail of supplements working together, but fish oil was my starting point.
Have a great day everybody...I hope this blog was helpful.
mellow
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