Omega-3 deficiency linked to mood disorders

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Author: Priyanka Verma

The latest study, conducted by a team of researchers from Unité Inserm's Neurocentre Magendie in France, was aimed to show why people lacking in Omega-3 acids suffer from mood problems, especially depression.

Researchers found that though the Americans eat high-calorie and nutritious diet, their food lacks the required amount of Omega-3 acids and this may have a negative impact on their health.

Omega-3 fatty acids cannot be naturally produced by the body and is abundantly available in fish and walnuts.

"Although these beneficial fatty acids are known to be good for heart health, researchers are just beginning to learn how omega-3s impact our brains—and by extension, our moods and behavior," noted the researchers.

Study details The research team, led by Mathieu Lafourcade from the Unité Inserm's Neurocentre Magendie, found that the rodents who were provided a low omega-3 diet had reduced amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids in their brain and high levels of omega-6 fatty acids that are considered dangerous for the body.

"These mice also went on to exhibit a range of depressive symptoms in behavioral tests. The deficient animals, for example, gave up more easily in a classic forced swimming test, were less inclined to explore and were more inclined to stay near the wall of a cage, 'a widely accepted index of anxiety'," said the lead investigator.

"Our results can now corroborate clinical and epidemiological studies which have revealed associations between an omega-3/omega-6 imbalance and mood disorders," he revealed.

Why does this happen? Researchers have established that the low levels of omega-3 fatty acids affected the working of presynaptic cannabinoid receptors, which is the part of the brain's signaling mechanism. These receptors are associated with the regulation of appetite and pain.

So, the present study findings are considered as a major achievement, as it may explain the reason of mood disorders and help scientists devise a treatment for the same.

"I think it's an important paper. This raises concern [about] the true effect of omega-3 on behavior in human beings," said Gregory Asnis, Professor of Psychiatry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx.

"Researchers can now measure a person's omega-3 levels relatively accurately via a blood test. Now that this test is available, "this research is really going to blossom," Asnis concluded.

The study has been published in the online edition of 'Nature Neuroscience.'

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