Fish oil intake helps improve mood

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

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

Malnutrition, a widespread phenomenon even among those who “seem fine”

Malnutrition is an increasingly common phenomenon in industrialized countries, caused by a diet that, although high in calories, is deficient in some essential nutrients. Among these are precisely Omega-3 fatty acids. In particular, fats are indispensable for the formation of the central nervous system (CNS), for which they constitute the very building blocks for assembling its structures. Compared to other tissues, those forming the CNS are rich in essential polyunsaturated fatty acids necessary also for its function, namely arachidonic acid and Omega-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). But the precursors of these molecules – linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid, respectively – cannot be synthesized by the body. Consequently, it is essential to introduce these nutrients through diet to maintain sufficiently high Omega-3 fatty acid concentrations in the brain and prevent 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 Omega-3 deficiency in mice typical of diets poor in these fatty acids. 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 hypothesize that throughout life malnutrition can influence synapse function – the points of nerve impulse transmission from one neuron to another – in brain areas controlling mood. This would be the first explanation of the mechanisms underlying emotional behavior dysfunctions – including depression – associated with low levels of Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids often observed in Western diets.