Fish oil - bipolar disorder
Here are some interesting research results about the omega-3 found in fish oil as a treatment for bipolar disorder.
Omega 3 Fatty Acids in Bipolar Disorder
Source of information:
American Medical Association -- Archives of General Psychiatry. 1999;56:407-412.
Lithium carbonate and valproate are both known effective treatments for bipolar disorder. Omega 3 fatty acids may inhibit neuronal signal transduction pathways like they do. This study was performed to determine whether omega-3 fatty acids also exhibit mood-stabilizing properties in bipolar disorder.
Thirty people diagnosed with bipolar disorder were part of the four month study, where they were given a daily dose of 9.6 grams of omega 3 fatty acids. Olive oil was used as a placebo in the study.
Their results: A Kaplan-Meier survival analysis of the cohort found that the omega 3 fatty acid patient group had a significantly longer period of remission than the placebo group. For nearly every other outcome measure, the omega 3 fatty acid group performed better than the placebo group.
Their conclusion: Omega3 fatty acids were well tolerated and improved the short-term course of illness in this preliminary study of patients with bipolar disorder.