Fish oil has anti-psychotic properties

For several years, fish oil has been known to posses several health benefits offered to humankind.  The beneficial component responsible behind the health wonders of fish oil is omega-3 fatty acids or otherwise known as the “healthy” fat which is usually found in foods such may include salmon and walnuts.  Certain researchers have reported various health promotion properties of the omega-3 and it focused on how it lowers down the rate of heart disease as it increases good cholesterol and decreases the bad cholesterol.  They also found out that omega-3 does not only prevent heart arrhythmias but it also treat depression and may protect some individuals from Alzheimer’s disease.  More so some studies have showed omega-3’s anti-aging benefits on cells.  But among these health advancements brought by omega-3, a recent medical illness breakthrough was discovered when fish oil supplements rich in omega-3s may actually prevent psychotic illness among individuals at high risk for severe mental illnesses.

Psychotic disorders are severe mental disorders that inhabit an individual to create abnormal process of thinking and perceptions.  Most of the psychotic individuals lose touch with reality and their symptoms include delusions and hallucinations that usually cause them to hurt themselves and other people.  The most common psychotic illness is schizophrenia and unfortunately most anti-psychotic drug treatments usually have severe side-effects that include metabolic changes, sexual dysfunction and weight gain.

Now, people often wonder how to prevent such psychotic illnesses.  There are several mental health studies who focused on this prevention but a recent study may have the key for a more attainable manner of prevention and it is due to the another health benefit provided for us the omega-3 fatty acids.

G. Paul Amminger, M.D., of the Medical University of Vienna, Austria and Orygen Youth Health Research Center in Melbourne, Australia led a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to test the influence of omega-3s on the risk progression to psychosis illness among 81 subjects that are known to have extreme high risk for the psychotic disorder.  These subjects are considered high risk and were noted to have mild psychotic symptoms and transient psychotic episodes and/or have family history of psychosis.  The researchers used these criteria to identify individuals who are at high risk for psychotic illness and these people are said to have 40 percent risk of developing psychosis over a year’s time.

41 of the research subjects took fish oil capsules daily for 3 months and these capsules contain 1.2 grams of omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.  The rest of the subjects were given a placebo.  At the end of the study, only 4.9 percent developed a psychotic disorder among the subjects who took fish oil capsules, while 27.5 percent in the placebo group became psychotic.

In the February issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, a report stated that people who are at high risk of developing psychosis were found to less likely to develop psychotic disorders  after 12 weeks of ingesting fish oil capsules rich in omega-3 fatty acids.  The researchers explained that the effectiveness of fish oil may be due to the underlying dysfunction in fatty acid metabolism found among individuals with schizophrenia.

This recent discovery about fish oil and its mental health benefits is a breakthrough.  Knowing that a natural substance may help delay or prevent symptoms of psychotic disorders is hopeful enough for individuals at high risk of developing psychotic disorders.  What’s more, they may be able to save themselves from the common undesirable side effects of anti-psychotic drugs such as sexual dysfunction and weight gain.  As a supplement, fatty acids significantly reduce mental illness symptoms and also helps improve overall functioning too with no side effects to boot this up.  Now, this serves well how fish oil is one true nature’s gifts for humankind.  Don’t you agree?

REFERENCES:

http://www.naturalnews.com/028193_fish_oils_mental_illness.html

http://www.healthcastle.com/omega3.shtml

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/psychoticdisorders.html

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