Fish Oil and Depression

[fayman]

A few episodes back on The FitCast, I remember Kevin's news story about using fish oil as an alternative to Ritalin for ADD.

Lately I've increased my intake every day, and have noticed that I've felt much happier lately. After struggling for years with anxiety and mild everyday "blues", I've become a little more sensitive to changes in my mood, and what causes them.

Now, this could be completely coincidental, but Kevin's original story got me thinking about other side effects of taking fish oil.

Has anyone noticed this, or am I just crazy?

[OldGuy]

Originally Posted by fayman

Has anyone noticed this, or am I just crazy?

Is this a rhetorical question?

I would think that if something makes you feel better physically it would have to have an effect on your emotional outlook.

[fayman]

True, but not really what I'm asking. I mentioned the FitCst story because in that case fish oil obviously had a different effect than just being a healthy supplement physically.

I agree that I do feel better emotionally when I approach diet and fitness in a healthy way. But, I've noticed my change in attitude with just a change in my fish oil intake, and nothing more.

So, is "crazy" my answer?

[cappuccino]

I've read that the fish oils give your brain the essential fatty acids needed to keep all the circuits going, so keep it up! I'm glad to read you can tell the difference!

this is a product site, but it has a chart (you'll have to search cause I'm in a hurry ) that shows what the different type of oils are good for, including brain health

www.nordicnaturals.com

here's the faq page:

http://www.nordicnaturals.com/direct/faqs.asp

What is the best fish oil supplement to take for low mood?
Research has shown that DHA from fish oils is the primary omega-3 fatty acid for brain health. Fish oil is a natural source of both EPA and DHA. Cod liver oil provides proportionately more DHA than EPA. To help improve low mood, try Nordic Naturals DHA or Cod Liver Oil. Because fish oil is a natural product and the body needs time to incorporate the nutrition, many people find it takes 2–3 weeks before they feel real benefit, and then the benefits continue, as long as they supplement consistently.

This is also a great fish oil brand

[OldGuy]

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/52/50229.htm

[TennesseeGentleman]

Fayman,
What was your baseline of fish oil before the increase? And, what was the amount of increase before you noticed an improvement in mood?

[BamaDave]

I did read that increased fish oil intake can cause paranoia about being crazy, so proceed with caution!!!

Aside from that -- considering that Omega-3 fatty acids are a critical component of our cells and yet deficient in most people's diets, it's not much of a stretch to think that adding them back could impact almost anything physiologically. Suddenly all of these bodily functions that were operating sub-optimally are working more like they are supposed to work. It wouldn't be a surprise to me if appropriate Omega-3 intake had a positive impact on emotional well-being.

[I. Kay]

Both I and a former co-worker have felt a similar impact. After 2-3 months of taking in about 4-5g of combined EPA/DHA per day, we both realized that we generally felt less anxiety and were less irritable.

We had both started at different times, of course, and had no documented track-record of other factors, etc. but we both thought that it might be more than coincidence.

[Lisa~]

fayman,

Eric Cressey wrote a two-part article that was a review of studies done on fish oil. I've linked the articles if you want to read them in full. I've quoted the section from part two that is relevant to depression.

Fishy Advice: Part I
Fishy Advice: Part II

Psychological Disorders:
• Maes et al (1999) observed that there is a significant deficiency in omega-3 fatty acids serum phospholipids and red blood cell membranes in major depression. Furthermore, the deficiency is likely a result of abnormal omega-3 metabolism in depressed patients and may continue in spite of treatment with antidepressants (69). As such, fish oil treatment may serve as an important adjunct to – or even a replacement for – traditional antidepressant therapy
• Hibbeln and Salem (1995) proposed that low concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids may be related to increased risks of suicide, depression, alcoholism, and post-partum depression (70).
• Four out of five trials of EPA in the treatment of schizophrenia have demonstrated significant reduction in patient episodes of severe mania and depression following supplementation (71).
• In an eight-week study of 28 clinically depressed patients receiving either 9.6 g omega-3 fatty acids per day or a placebo, there were significant decreases in scores on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, an evaluative tool on which high scores indicate more severe feelings of depression (72).
• Zanarini and Frankenburg (2003) studied the effects of 1 g/day ethyl-EPA (or placebo) on thirty females with borderline personality disorder. The ethyl-EPA supplement proved "to be superior to placebo in diminishing aggression as well as the severity of depressive symptoms (73)."
• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be related to an abnormality in polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolism. As such, both Richardson and Puri (2000) and Kidd (2000) have proposed that omega-3 fatty acid supplementation may have merits in the treatment of this condition, although more research is warranted in this regard (74,75).

[Keith Scott]

I have been taking it for a few years now, and have seen a lot of positive effects.....but one big one is I do just feel better each day. Not in a bad mood much ever, and seem to be able to handle stress way better.

I thought it was the Spike all of this time , but I guess it could have been the Fish Oil .

[Michael Roussell]

I have a friend who suffered from bipolar depression (heavier on the depression than the mania). He started taking 10grams fo fish oil a day, and started controling his insulin levels (via the Zone Diet) and within a couple months all his symptions went away. He now takes 5 grams of EPA/DHA a day, has no symptions, and takes no meds.

Pretty amazing huh?

[jj]

So what brands of fish oil would everyone recommend

[jj]

I have never taken an omega-3 supplement, and was wondering what the difference as well as which is better between flax seed and fish oil?

[Lost Dog]

Flax seed oil has only ALA, which must be converted to DHA/EPA by the body. There's only about a 20% max conversion rate, however. There's even some evidence that men don't convert it at all.

Fish oil requires no conversion. The fish have done it for you.

Skip the flaxseed oil and take the fish oil.

Note: flax seeds (not the oil) has other valuable benefits and nutrients. You don't have to give it up, just get your Omega-3s from fish oil, instead.

[Lisa~]

Originally Posted by jj

So what brands of fish oil would everyone recommend

I take Coromega, which is an emulsified fish oil. It's a little bit more expensive than some brands but I don't mind the taste of it and that's an important consideration for me personally. I think Michael recommends Omega-Rx. I have heard good comments about Health from the Sun brand.

There are several good brands, but you just want to choose a quality fish oil product. This is one supplement where you should not be looking for the lowest cost, but instead look for quality.

[TrainingGirl]

Any thoughts on this brand... http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/natrol/og.html

I like that it has the glucosamine in there as well due to my knee problems and joint issues. But I wasn't sure about the quality. I know I do need to take it with a flavored drink. The taste is too much for plain water.

[Lisa~]

Originally Posted by TrainingGirl

I know I do need to take it with a flavored drink. The taste is too much for plain water.

The link sent me to softgels. The taste of softgels is bad? Or am I looking at the wrong product?

If I'm looking at the right thing, there's only 1 gram of Omega 3 in a 3-softgel serving. It gives you all of your glucosamine (1500 mg) and less chondroitin than most brands. And I don't anything about the quality of this fish oil component or if there are any concerns with mixing them into the same product.

FYI, I take glucosamine/chondroitin also because of my family history of arthritis. I like Labrada's Elasti-Joint product, but there are a lot of good glucosamine products out there. I dump my Greens+ and Elasti-Joint into the same cup and get my Greens+ plus down that way, hahahahaha. It makes it possible for me to consume the Greens+.

[Cynic]

Originally Posted by Lisa~

I take Coromega, which is an emulsified fish oil. It's a little bit more expensive than some brands but I don't mind the taste of it and that's an important consideration for me personally.

I'll look into this because I'm getting tired of the fishy burps.