Omega-3 fatty acid is an essential fatty acids, or EFA, found in fish oil and some plant sources. One reason EFAs are essential is because they're important to normal human brain function. The human body can't synthesize EFAs, so it's important to obtain adequate amounts from your diet. While fish is the best and most-studied source of dietary omega-3, it also is abundant in legumes, seeds and nuts as alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA. The body converts ALA into the most important brain health EFAs found in fish oil: eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA, and docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA.
Brain Food
Omega-3s are commonly referred to as brain food for good reason. The Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that the human brain is composed of up to 60 percent fats. Glycerophospholipids are one of the primary fats, accounting for approximately 25 percent of the dry weight of the adult brain. Omega-3s are the chief component of the brain's glycerophospholipids. Omega-3s became a subject of scientific scrutiny into mental-health disorders chiefly because they play such an important role in the brain's composition.
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar personality disorder is more commonly known as manic depression. The National Institute of Mental Health describes its symptoms as including extreme emotional states known as mood episodes. A mood episode displaying exaggerated happiness and excitement is called a manic episode, and a mood marked by intense sadness is known as a depressive episode. At last half of all cases emerge before the age of 25 and symptoms worsen over time. Bipolar disorder typically lasts a lifetime and is often treated with mood-stabilizing medications.
Omega-3 and Bipolar Disorder
One of the first studies testing the link between omega-3 and bipolar disorder was published in a 1999 issue of the "Archives of General Psychiatry." It was a four-month double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of patients taking standard medication who were between the ages of 18 and 65. The study showed that episodes of severe depression and mania were significantly reduced in the group receiving omega-3 supplements. These patients ingested 9.6g combined DHA and EPA per day. Subsequent studies have shown both significant and no benefit from omega-3 supplementation and were reviewed in the journal "Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews."
Mechanism of Action
Researchers reporting in the Asia Pacific journal article say that the reason omega-3s seem to work is because of the physical properties of the brain's neurotransmitters. A neurotransmitter is a membrane responsible for relaying communications in the brain. Omega-3 is a chief component of the structure of these membranes and is depleted through use. If the diet doesn't contain adequate amounts of these fatty acids to replenish what's been depleted, communications become problematic and can stop altogether.
References
- "Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Omega 3 Fatty Acids and the Brain; A. Sinclair et.al.; Supplement 1; 2007
- National Institute of Mental Health: Bipolar Disorder
- "Archives of General Psychiatry"; Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Bipolar Disorder; A. Stoll et.al.; May 1999
- "Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews"; Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Bipolar Disorder; P. Montgomery et.al.; April 2008
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