Page 53 - Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments in Psychiatry

Nutritional Treatments in Psychiatry | 53

As examples of how fatty acids impact mental health, EPA is
converted to leukotrienes and prostaglandins, both of which
help reduce inflammation. Inflammation has been repeatedly
associated with depression. Also DHA is critical for adequate
functioning of embedded proteins in postsynaptic receptors for
neurotransmission.

Omega 3s and Psychotic Disorders
One of the landmark studies of essential fatty acids (EFAs) in
psychiatry—a Harvard-based clinical trial that sparked many
follow-up studies for numerous mental disorders—was a double-
blind study of patients with bipolar disorder. Treated with
9.6g/day of omega-3 EFAs (current psychiatric studies generally
use lower dosages in the 1-4 gram range), after 4 months, the
EFA group not only had a significantly longer period of
remission, but for nearly every other outcome measure, they
performed better than the placebo group (Stoll 1999).
Omega-3 EFAs have shown promise as a treatment for
schizophrenia. One reason for this is that the neuronal
membranes of the brain are rich in EFAs which impact neural
receptor function. A review of the literature finds ample
evidence of therapeutic response from EFAs. An epidemiological
study found improved outcomes for schizophrenia patients in
countries where diets are high in unsaturated fatty acids. Trials
of EPA versus placebo have found significant benefit on positive
and negative symptoms. One study found EPA as a monotherapy
to have some antipsychotic qualities (Emsley 2003).
A review of 18,411 women in Sweden found that those who ate
fish 3–4 times per week were 53% as likely to experience high-
level psychotic symptoms as women who ate no fish at all. The
risk was also lower for women with a high intake of omega-3 and
omega-6 fatty acids compared to women with a lower intake
(Hedelin 2010).
While omega-3 EFAs appear to improve symptomology in
psychotic disorders, their greater value may lie in their