Linus Pauling Institute: Micronutrients for Major depression and bipolar disorde

[Guest guest]

SSRI-Research@

Sun, 7 Nov 2004 11:59:48 -0500

Subject:[sSRI-Research] Linus Pauling Institute: Micronutrients for

Major depression and bipolar disorder

 

Linus Pauling Institute - Micronutrient Information Center

 

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/othernuts/omega3fa/index.html#depression

 

Major depression and bipolar disorder

 

Data from ecologic studies across different countries suggest an

inverse association between national seafood consumption and national

rates of major depression (97) and postpartum depression (98). Several

small studies have found omega-3 fatty acid levels to be lower in the

plasma (99, 100) and fat (101) of individuals suffering from

depression compared to controls. Although it is not known how

increased omega-3 fatty acid intake can affect the incidence of

depression, modulation of neuronal signaling pathways and eicosanoid

production have been proposed as possible mechanisms (102). At

present, there are no data from controlled trials on the efficacy of

omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in patients with depression. A

preliminary placebo-controlled trial that assessed the effects of very

high doses of EPA (6.2 g/day) and DHA (3.4 g/day) in 30 patients with

bipolar disorder (formerly known as manic-depressive disorder) found

that those supplemented with EPA + DHA had a significantly longer

period of remission than those on an olive oil placebo over a 4-month

period (103). Patients who took the EPA + DHA supplements also

experienced less depression than those who took the placebo. Although

major depression occurs in both, bipolar disorder and depression are

considered distinct psychiatric conditions. More recently, a pilot

study in 30 women diagnosed with borderline personality disorder found

that the 20 women randomized to treatment with 1 g/day of ethyl-EPA

for eight weeks experienced less severe depressive symptoms than the

10 women randomized to treatment with a placebo (104). Although the

results of these very limited pilot studies are somewhat optimistic,

larger and long-term randomized controlled trials are required to

determine the efficacy of marine-derived omega-3 fatty acid

supplementation on major depression.