Louisiana Sheephead
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THE
HEAD BONES
CONNECTED TO
THE FISH BONE
By
Sara Ann Harris, Louisiana Seafood Board
Seafood has long been
called brain food. Today, Dr. Andrew Stoll of Harvard Medical School's
Department of Psychiatry believes that that may be truer than we realized.
Seafood is the premium source of omega 3, a nutrient that now appears
to be linked to better functioning brain cells.
A study published in the American Medical Association's Archives of
Psychiatry indicates that omega 3 provides benefits for those living
with brain chemistry disorders. Stoll said the researchers were "looking
for compounds with biochemical interactions in the brain similar to
those of drugs that are currently used as mood stabilizers and antidepressants."
He concluded that, "The study results were more positive than
we could have imagined."
This is no small find, particularly for the seven million Americans
who are struggling with chronic bouts of depression and euphoria,
a condition called bipolar disorder.
The study group was made of just such people. And their daily diet
included 9.6 grams of omega 3. (A serving of seafood would ordinarily
include 0.4 to 2.0 milligrams depending on the seafood). They were
tested every two weeks for four months and results were compared with
a control group - also people living with bipolar disorder but instead
of taking omega 3 supplements they took olive oil placebos.
"Researchers observed anti-depressant and mood stabilizing effects"
in the study group that were significantly different than those in
the control group.
Technically, omega 3 is a family of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Fatty
acids along with proteins and carbohydrates are the principal structural
material of all living cells. And, as health conscious consumers already
know, omega 3 provides a variety of other benefits including lowering
the chances of heart disease and breast cancer and easing the pain
of arthritis.
Now, they are believed to replenish cell membranes, alter chemical
transmissions and ease the symptoms of manic-depression. Researchers
do not know how this happens and this study is only preliminary. |
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