Fish Oil For Mood Recovery & Add

You can consume fish oil through fish or by taking fish oil supplements, which both may provide health benefits. Fish oil has been known for its potential to protect you from heart disease by lowering triglycerides, fats in the blood. It may also provide improvements for mental health conditions. Deficiencies in essential fatty acids found in fish oil have been linked to people with depressive moods and attention deficit disorder, ADD, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD.

Sources

Omega-3 fatty acids, a type of polyunsaturated fat, from oily fish may hold the key to the benefits of fish oil. Fish with high amounts of omega-3s include salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, herring, halibut and lake trout. Makers of fish oil supplements usually manufacture them from omega-3-rich fish. Although foods have the added benefit of other nutrients, many supplements with fish oil and omega-3s also include vitamins and minerals.

Depression and Bipolar Disorder

Fish oil may work effectively to improve depression and symptoms of bipolar disorder. Bipolar patients suffer from extreme mood swings of depression and manic behavior. In a four-month study of 30 patients with bipolar disorder, researchers at Harvard Medical School found that those given omega-3 fatty acids along with usual treatment had longer mood-stabilized periods than subjects in a control group. An eight-week study of 28 patients with major depression found that those taking omega-3s in addition to traditional treatment had significantly decreased scores of depression compared to patients in a placebo group, according to researchers at China Medical College Hospital in Taiwan. Fish oil may work better at improving depression symptoms in bipolar patients than in the treatment of symptoms during the manic episodes, MedlinePlus states.

Inattention and Hyperactivity

Children with ADHD have problems with inattention or hyperactivity, Psych Central notes. Some adults may also suffer from the condition. Inattentive symptoms of those with ADHD include carelessness or avoiding details during work, difficulty performing tasks, inability to listen to what adults say, becoming easily distracted, and having a tendency to lose items. Examples of hyperactivity include fidgeting in the chair, often jumping out of the seat in class or during other situations, running or acting rowdy at inappropriate times, talking excessively or interrupting too often.

Improving Moods

Fish oil may have potential to improve behavior and thinking skills for ADHD children, who have lower than normal levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Researchers at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, found that 53 children with ADHD had significantly lower levels of fatty acids, including EPA fatty acids found in oily fish, than did 43 children with normal levels. Other studies of the relationship between fish oil and ADHD have had mixed results and more research is needed, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Precautions

Depression, bipolar disorder and ADHD require professional treatment, which may include therapy to deal with emotional issues and medication to improve moods and functioning. Fish oil and other dietary supplements should only be taken under the supervision of a health care provider. Discuss possible symptoms of these disorders with your doctor. Supplements can interact with medications.