<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>MOME2RT</b></i>
OK expalin why CF & bipolar can come hand in hand. Just curoius. Guess I should read up on bipolar.</end quote></div>
Just a theory of mine and I am certainly not a mental health researcher, but I believe there is a lot of research to support why cystic fibrosis patients would be more likely to suffer from a variety of forms of mental/mood disorders. As new research is showing, brains lacking DHA and EPA, two imporatant omega three oils, develop more signs of aging. Patients lacking these oils in their diets often suffer from mood disorders. While omega 3's protect the brain, omega 6 actually harden the vessels in the brain. Omega 6 are responsible for inflammatory process and are very prevalent in our diets.....
We, as cystics, suffer from a severe imbalance in these essential fatty acids...we are defficient in dha and are normally high in the omega 6. Due to our genetic make-up we are already at the wrong in of the spectrum in turns of healthy omega three's which are responsible for keeping the brain healthy. Clearly, there are a number of hormones and brain chemicals that affect mental health. I just believe that due to our innate imbalance in critical omega 3's we are more prone to mental or mood disorders.
Ran this by my brother's doc who is a researcher at UT Suthwestern and he believes it makes a lot of sense. Fish oil is one of the first things a psychiatrist should prescribe when treating any type of mood disorder...along with conventional meds. CF cariers have half the dha i blood plasma as those who are non-carriers...I always wondered if this had an impact on my brothers mental health. His doc prescribed EPA with his meds.
Two quick reads.
Omega-3 fatty acids in the treatment of psychiatric disorders.
Peet M,
Stokes C.
Swallownest Court Hospital, Doncaster and South Humber Healthcare NHS Trust, Sheffield, UK. malcolmpeet@yahoo.com
The importance of omega-3 fatty acids for physical health is now well recognised and there is increasing evidence that omega-3 fatty acids may also be important to mental health. The two main omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have important biological functions in the CNS. DHA is a major structural component of neuronal membranes, and changing the fatty acid composition of neuronal membranes leads to functional changes in the activity of receptors and other proteins embedded in the membrane phospholipid. EPA has important physiological functions that can affect neuronal activity. Epidemiological studies indicate an association between depression and low dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids, and biochemical studies have shown reduced levels of omega-3 fatty acids in red blood cell membranes in both depressive and schizophrenic patients.Five of six double-blind, placebo-controlled trials in schizophrenia, and four of six such trials in depression, have reported therapeutic benefit from omega-3 fatty acids in either the primary or secondary statistical analysis, particularly when EPA is added on to existing psychotropic medication. Individual clinical trials have suggested benefits of EPA treatment in borderline personality disorder and of combined omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. The evidence to date supports the adjunctive use of omega-3 fatty acids in the management of treatment unresponsive depression and schizophrenia. As these conditions are associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease and diabetes mellitus, omega-3 fatty acids should also benefit the physical state of these patients. However, as the clinical research evidence is preliminary, large, and definitive randomised controlled trials similar to those required for the licensing of any new pharmacological treatment are needed.
A team of British and Scottish researchers has just completed a study aimed at determining if the ethyl ester of EPA, ethyl-eicosapentaenoate (EEP), would be effective in strengthening the beneficial effect of standard antidepressants. The study involved 60 patients who were already being treated with SSRIs or tricyclic antidepressants. Fourteen patients received a placebo while the remaining 46 received either 1, 2 or 4 grams/day of EEP. All participants were evaluated for depression using several different scales at the beginning of the experiment and after 12 weeks. At the end of the study it was clear that the 1gram/day dosage of EEP was highly effective in reducing depression and associated conditions such as sadness, pessimism, inability to work, sleep disturbances, and diminished sex drive. In most cases, 60- 70% of patients receiving 1 gram/day of EEP showed an improvement of 50% or better. This compares to only 25% of the patients on the placebo showing a 50% improvement. The degree of improvement was substantially less in the 2 grams/day and 4 grams/day groups. The researchers speculate that this could be due to the depletion of the omega-6 fatty acid, arachidonic acid, by an excess of omega-3 fatty acid (EPA), indicating that the balance between omega-3 and omega-6 is important when it comes to depression.
The researchers conclude that concurrent treatment with 1 gram/day of EEP is effective in reducing depression in patients who are still depressed despite treatment with standard medications. They are now planning on evaluating EEP on its own as a treatment for depression.
Peet, M. and Horrobin, DF. A dose-ranging study of the effects of ethyl-eicosapentaenoate in patients with ongoing depression despite apparently adequate treatment with standard drugs. Archives of General Psychiatry, Vol. 59, October 2002, pp. 913-19
On a personal note, I have been taking omega 3 and DHA and notice a change in my mental well-being. Of course, I am just getting to the 1.5 year marker of my brother's death so it could just be that my sadness is healing. Regardless, if it is helping my lungs in any way, I am all for it.
m
ok one more
Omega-3 fatty acids and neuropsychiatric disorders.
Young G,
Conquer J.
Human Biology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Epidemiological evidence suggests that dietary consumption of the long chain omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), commonly found in fish or fish oil, may modify the risk for certain neuropsychiatric disorders. As evidence, decreased blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids have been associated with several neuropsychiatric conditions, including Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder, Alzheimer's Disease, Schizophrenia and Depression. Supplementation studies, using individual or combination omega-3 fatty acids, suggest the possibility for decreased symptoms associated with some of these conditions. Thus far, however, the benefits of supplementation, in terms of decreasing disease risk and/or aiding in symptom management, are not clear and more research is needed. The reasons for blood fatty acid alterations in these disorders are not known, nor are the potential mechanisms by which omega-3 fatty acids may function in normal neuronal activity and neuropsychiatric disease prevention and/or treatment. It is clear, however, that DHA is the predominant n-3 fatty acid found in the brain and that EPA plays an important role as an anti-inflammatory precursor. Both DHA and EPA can be linked with many aspects of neural function, including neurotransmission, membrane fluidity, ion channel and enzyme regulation and gene expression. This review summarizes the knowledge in terms of dietary omega-3 fatty acid intake and metabolism, as well as evidence pointing to potential mechanisms of omega-3 fatty acids in normal brain functioning, development of neuropsychiatric disorders and efficacy of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in terms of symptom management.
