Do You Suffer From Depression? Try Omega 3 Fish Oil

Scientists are constantly revealing results of studiesresults in the Archives of General Psychiatry in 1999.
that show the positive effect that Omega 3 fish oil canThey found that fish oil can dramatically reduce the
have on our brains and on our mental health. It seemssymptoms of bipolar disorder (manic depression).
there's a lot of truth in the belief that fish is brain food.In 2002, a study by Peet and Horrobin revealed that a
Fish, particularly fatty fish, contain essential Omega 3dose of 1 gram of ethyl EPA daily, could be effective
fatty acids that are not available anywhere else andin treating depression
yet our brain needs these fatty acids in order toPuri et al discovered that brain scans carried out
develop and function healthily. So what happens whenbefore and after treating a patient who had a severe
we don't get enough?form of depression with high dose EPA fish oil
You can think of your brain as like a car. You put oil inshowed structural changes to the brain itself.
your car in order to keep it running smoothly. However,The Durham trials in the UK indicate that EPA fish oil
put the wrong oil in your car and you may well findcan improve behaviour in children with ADHD and
that your car struggles to run properly and may evenpromote learning.
break down altogether. It's exactly the same with theOne Australian study conducted by researcher Natalie
brain.Sinn claimed that fish oil was better than Ritalin in the
If the brain doesn't get the type of oil it needs in ordertreatment of ADHD
to run smoothly, it has to take what's available fromA study carried out by Aberdeen university and led by
the body and these 'replacement' fatty acids are notprofessor Lawrence Whalley, found that fish oil could
cut out to do the job properly.help the brain process information faster and could
It's interesting that researchers are discovering thateven increase IQ scores
people with mental health problems often have muchThe conclusion has to be that fish oil containing high
lower than normal levels of Omega 3 fatty acids inquantities of the Omega fatty acid known as
their blood. Now the question arises, are the low levelsEicosapentaenoic acid or EPA can have a positive
the result of having a mental health problem or are loweffect on brain function as well as alleviate the
levels of Omega 3 possibly, at least in part, the reasonsymptoms of depression, so why might this be?
a mental health problem arose in the first place?No one yet knows exactly how EPA works on the
Is fish oil helpful for depression?brain but the evidence suggests that it facilitates better
Depression is extremely common and affects aroundinter-neural connectivity, it reduces inflammation, and it
a quarter of the population at any one time. It is usuallyhelps the blood to flow more easily to the brain. It
treated with anti-depressant medication or some formboosts mood, helps concentration and can improve
of talking therapy or a combination of both. This meansmemory.
that unless you do your own research and discoverIt is now believed that EPA is the Omega 3 fatty acid
the benefits of fish oil yourself, fish oil is unlikely to benecessary for normal brain function on a day to day
recommended by your doctor.basis. So, if we do not get enough EPA in our diet, it
However, numerous research studies are constantlystands to reason that our brain will not perform as well
revealing results that show just how effective fish oilas it could and the result may be poor concentration
would be for depression and the brain. Here are just aand memory or perhaps an increased risk of
few of the findings.depression and other mental health problems.
Dr Andrew Stoll and his colleagues published their