Fish oil intake helps improve mood

The mechanisms by which omega-3 fatty acids are able to modulate mood have been revealed. Details of the discovery were revealed in the journal Nature Neuroscience, which published a study conducted in mice in which the typical situation generated by a diet unbalanced in Omega-3 fatty acids was recreated.

The authors of the research thus demonstrated that in the absence of the optimal doses of Omega-3, the complete loss of the function of certain molecules essential for nerve impulse transmission leads to the development of symptoms typical of depression. These results support the usefulness ofOmega-3 intake in situations of malnutrition that can lead to mood disorders and depression.

Malnutrition, a widespread phenomenon even among those "well off"

Malnutrition is an increasingly common phenomenon in industrialized countries, where it is caused by a diet that, although it provides a high amount of calories, is deficient in certain key nutrients. Among these are precisely omega-3 fatty acids. In particular, fats are essential for the formation of the central nervous system (CNS), of which they are the actual building blocks for the assembly of its structures. Compared with other tissues, those that form the CNS are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids that are also essential for its functioning, arachidonic acid andOmega-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). But the precursors of these molecules-linoleic acid and alpha-linoleic acid, respectively-cannot be synthesized by the body. Consequently, it is essential to introduce these nutrients through the diet to maintain sufficiently high concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids in the brain and avoid many pathologies, including mood disorders and depression.

Omega-3 against depression

The authors of the study published in Nature Neuroscience developed a specific diet to mimic in mice the Omega-3 deficiency typical of diets low in these fatty acids. In this way, it was observed that reducing Omega-3 levels leads to a decrease in functions associated with a molecule essential for nerve impulse transmission, the CB1R receptor.

Innovative results

The authors' hypothesis is that over the course of a lifetime, malnutrition may affect the function of synapses -- the points of transmission of nerve impulse from one neuron to another -- in areas of the brain that control mood. This would be the first explanation of the mechanisms underlying the dysfunction of emotional behavior -- including depression -- associated with the low levels of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids often observed in Western diets.