Sally-Ann
Creed touches on the vital benefits of our harvest from the sea!
Fights
Depression
Skimping on
fish may depress you. Norman Salem Jr, a researcher at the National
Institutes of Health, notes that populations consuming large amounts of
fish have low rates of major depression. A lack of fish oil is linked to
depression in alcoholics, people with multiple sclerosis and women with
postpartum depression. Further, he says, some dieters who reduce overall
fat, including fish fat, tend to get depressed.
A recent
Australian study of 21 depressed patients confirmed that the most
severely depressed had imbalances of fatty acids in their blood and cell
membranes. Evidence suggests DHA-type fish oil helps regulate serotonin,
a neurotransmitter known for its "feel-good" qualities.
Depressed people often have low levels of serotonin.
Reduces
Aggression
You are
less likely to express stress-induced aggression if your brain is under
the influence of fish oil, according to Japanese researchers. In a new
double-blind test of 41 adult students, those taking just 1.5-1.8 daily
grams of DHA fish oil for three months did not become more socially
aggressive at a time of severe mental stress during final exams. In
contrast, students taking a dummy look-alike capsule showed significant
jumps in social aggression, as measured by psychological tests. This
effect on stress may help explain how fish oil prevents heart disease.
Stress hormones triggered by hostility and anger can constrict arteries
and accelerate the formation of blockages, research shows; fish oil may
suppress the release of those hormones.
Stimulates
young minds:
Fetuses and
infants must get sufficient omega-3 oils for optimal brain development,
says William Connor, Oregon Health Sciences University. In one telling
study of premature infants, those fed breast milk had 8 points higher IQ
at age 8 than those fed standard infant formula. Connor credits breast
milk's higher amounts of DHA for that superior intelligence. In infant
rhesus monkeys deprived of omega-3-type oils, Connor found severely
impaired visual acuity and behavior indicative of a neurological defect.
Autopsies revealed abnormalities in brain cells. Connor advises pregnant
women to eat fish a couple of times a week, especially during the last
trimester, the time of greatest fetal brain growth. And breast-feeding
is preferable to infant formula, he says.
Blunts Brain
Damage?
Fish oil
may eventually be proved to lessen alcohol-induced brain damage, Salem
says. He explains that excessive alcohol depletes brain levels of
omega-3's - DHA in particular - which leads to neurological damage and
impaired vision. He put experimental animals on high-alcohol, low
omega-3 diets for six months to three years. They suffered severe losses
of DHA in brain cells and detrimental changes in brain functioning. Some
scientists speculate that fish oil also may have a protective role in
degenerative brain diseases leading to memory loss and dementia. The
brains of deceased Alzheimer's sufferers, for example, show low levels
of omega-3 fats.
Influences
Behavior
Children
deficient in omega-3 oils may be more likely to have behavioral and
learning problems known as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or
ADHD, according to new research at Purdue University. John R. Burgess,
assistant professor of foods and nutrition, tested the omega-3 blood
levels of 96 boys, ages 6-12; about half had been identified as having
ADHD. Clearly, Burgess says, "boys with lower levels of the omega-3
fat scored higher in frequency of behavioral problems," such as
hyperactivity, impulsivity, anxiety, temper tantrums and sleep problems.
Does taking more omega-3 and other appropriate fats cure the deficiency
and improve ADHD behavior? That's what Burgess is trying to find out in
a follow-up study.
Smart tips
Restrict
omega-6 oils (corn oil, safflower and sunflower seed oils, and
margarine), which tend to negate the benefits of omega-3. Take
only omega-3 fish oil (pharmaceutical grade only!) and extra virgin
olive oils.
