Is Depression the Next Great Omega-3 Growth Opportunity?

(08/15/02) An article in the August ‘02 issue of Prevention, (Bye-Bye Blues, healthy fats ease depression) states that the Omega-3 fatty acid EPA could be a missing link that the brain needs to be happy. The article references a recent study (A Jour of Psychiatry, MAR 2002) in which 60% patients suffering from depression got relief with a daily intake of 2 g of EPA.

Andrew Stoll, MD of Harvard Medical School is quoted…"These results were huge, and the improvements were obvious. Those who got the supplements slept better and felt less worthlessness and guilt." Dr Stoll theorizes that EPA helps the brain use the feel-good chemical serotonin, an important neurotransmitter in the biochemistry of depression. All cell coatings are made of fats, and the fatty acid EPA seems to help the serotonin receptors on the brain’s surface function in a healthier way.

This hypothesis is supported by Dr. Joseph R. Hibbeln of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, in Bethesda, Maryland. He noted that Omega-3’s protective role in the epidemiology of major depression is consistent with the known relationship between DHA/EPA and the neurochemistry of serotonin.

In an earlier study, DR Stoll examined the role of EPA and DHA in treating manic depression (bipolar disease).1 In this 9-month double blind clinical trial, 64.3% of the patients receiving supplemental EPA/DHA showed significant improvement – compared to only 18.8% of the placebo group.
The authors noted Omega-3 fatty acids were well tolerated and improved the short-term course of illness. They concluded, "If further studies confirm their efficacy in bipolar disorders, Omega-3 fatty acids may represent a new class of psychotropic compounds".

While a number of new studies showing Omega-3’s benefits on the symptoms of bipolar, unipolar and postpartum depression have been published2-5…few have captured the attention of the mass media.

Prevention is recognized as the most widely distributed, read and respected of the mass nutrition/health magazines. It reaches a huge audience of influential health-conscious consumers.

The question is… does this highly favorable article in this prestigious magazine herald a new growth market for Omega-3 fatty acids?

References:
1. Stoll AL, et al.Omega-3 fatty acids and bipolar disorders: a review. Prostaglandin, Leucotriens and Ess Fatty Acids. 1999; 60:329-337.

2. Nemets B, et al. Addition of Omega-3 fatty acids to maintenance medication treatment for recurrent unipolar depressive disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 2002; 159:477-479.

3. Mulder RT, et al. Personality pathology and treatment outcome in major depression: a review. 2002; 159:359-371.

4. Tanskanen A, et al.Fish consumption and depressive symptoms in the general population. Psychiatric services. 2001; 52(4):529-31.

5. Hilbbeln JR. Sea food consumption, the DHA content of mother’s milk and prevalence rates of postpartum depression: a cross-national, ecological analysis. Laboratory of Membrane Biophysics and Biochemistry, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institute of Health, Rockville, MD. J. of Affective Disorders. 2002; 69 (1-3) : 15-29.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

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