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