Fish Oil: Positive Effects on Mood and Alcohol Craving

New Study Shows Fish Oil May

Have Positive Effects on Mood, Alcohol Craving

Fish Oil's Omega 3 fatty acids may be beneficial for more
than heart health. Researchers at the Indiana University
School of Medicine have found at a molecular level a potentially important therapeutic benefit for treating
alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorders.

In a multi-year study, researchers demonstrated conclusive behavioral and molecular benefits for omega 3 fatty acid
for bipolar disorder. The key fatty acid DHA, one of the
main active ingredients in fish oil, "normalized their behavior," according to the study reported online in the Nature Publishing Group journal "Translational Psychiatry."

Using a stress-sensitive laboratory model of bipolar disorder, research scientists studied the influence of dietary DHA.
The controlled laboratory subjects have characteristic bipolar symptoms including being depressed and, when subjected
to stress, becoming manic.

The subjects that were given DHA normalized their behavior "They are not depressed and when subjected to stress, they
do not become manic," explained the researchers "When we looked into their brains, using comprehensive gene expression studies, we were surprised to see that genes that are known targets of psychiatric medications were modulated and normalized by DHA."

An unexpected finding of the research was the discovery that the subjects given DHA also showed a reduced desire for alcohol. "These bipolar subjects, like some bipolar patients, love alcohol. Those on DHA drank much less; it curtailed their alcohol abusive behavior," they said, adding that this is a completely novel finding. To verify this finding, the researchers studied another well-established controlled lab model of alcoholism, and obtained similar results.

"We believe a diet rich in omega 3 fatty acids may help the treatment and prevention of bipolar disorder, and may help with alcoholism as well," they said.

The researchers also found correlations between brain molecular changes and molecular markers in their blood,
so called "bio-markers."

"There is now substantial evidence at the molecular level that omega-3 fatty acids work on the brain in ways similar to psychiatric drugs," said the researchers "With these biomarker findings, we can now move forward as a field and do more targeted clinical studies in humans."

Omega 3 fatty acids are known to be good for one's health, good for one's brain, and lack major side-effects, as opposed to some psychiatric medications, they said, indicating, omega 3 fatty acid could in the future be used as an adjuvant treatment to minimize the amount of psychiatric drugs needed to produce the same effect, especially in pregnant women or women who intend to get pregnant.

The research was supported by a National Institutes of Health Director's New Innovator Award grant.

Story Source: Indiana University School of Medicine.

Journal Reference:
Convergent functional genomics of anxiety disorders: translational identification of genes, bio-markers, pathways and mechanisms. Translational

Psychiatry, 2011