Omega-3 fatty acids for emotional wellbeing
Nutrient deficiencies have been shown to lead to emotional disorders. Omega-3 fatty acids is a nutrient that if deficient can lead to derangements in both physical and mental health.
The body needs regular daily intake of adequate amounts of both EPA (eicosa pentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosa hexaenoic acid). These are two long-chain omega-3 fats that are abundant in oily fish but can be taken as external supplements too.
Low tissue levels of EPA and DHA have been shown to be linked with mental and emotional disorders including depression, violent behavior, suicide, and learning disabilities. Dietary supplementation with these fats, usually in the form of fish oil, has proved to be an effective, natural and nontoxic therapy for many conditions like the bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, postpartum depression, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), etc.
Fish oils are also known to prevent depression and improve overall emotional well-being.
It has been found that very high doses of fish oil – 20 grams a day or more – have been used as treatments without any ill effects. In fact, there is no downside to adding fish oil to your diet. However, a 3 gram of fish oil per day is good enough.
Since about 60 % of the dry weight of a human brain is fat, fish oil works well. Omega-3 fatty acids optimize brain health as DHA is the main structural component of nerve cell membranes. If deficient in diet, especially during fetal development, infancy, and early childhood, brain “architecture” will be weak making a Omega-3 fatty acid deficient brain vulnerable to harmful effects of stress and environmental toxins and can impair its function.
EPA and DHA also reduce inflammation, and both protect neurons from injury and improve communication between them. They also contribute to the health of the cardiovascular system and its ability to meet the brain’s need for uninterrupted supplies of oxygen and glucose.
The importance of having sufficient Omega-3 fatty acids levels can be explained thus: A gorilla, eating mostly leaves and other raw vegetable matter that is very low in fats, has a brain that is about 0.2 % of overall body weight, while a human’s brain is 3 % of body weight; in relative terms, that’s 15 times larger.
It is a wise advise to recommend that everyone take 2 to 4 grams of a branded fish oil product daily. Unthinkable that there is such a simple measure to improve emotional well-being.
Written by Dr. Ajay Sati.
