Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Improved Mental Health

It has now become widely recognized that fish oil is one of the healthiest supplements you can add to your diet. However, not just any fish oil will do. Only the fish oil free of harmful pollutants such as mercury and industrial chemicals is completely safe for consumption. And, this is also one reason why supplementing with pharmaceutical-grade fish oil can be safer than just eating much more fish. Many fish, including tuna, halibut, swordfish, bluefish, king mackerel, tilefish, among others, are highly contaminated and need to be severely limited. Sadly, most of the salmon in the market and served in restaurants is farm raised. Though I will not be able to go into detail here, farm raised salmon, because of their unnatural commercial diet, has very low levels of Omega-3s.

As we pointed out above, Fish Oil contains one of the most important of the Essential Fatty Acids, Omega-3. Some of the top researchers in the world have shown that Omega-3s from fish oil, particularly ones called EPA and DHA, play a role in preventing heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and even cancer. The Omega -3s in fish oil have been shown to reverse atherosclerosis, ameliorate angina, and reduce heart attack, congestive heart failure, arrhythmias, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease. They help maintain the elasticity of artery walls, prevent unhealthy forms of blood clotting, reduce blood pressure and stabilize heart rhythm.

More recently, they have been shown to regulate and enhance mood, sharpen memory, and even aid concentration and learning. Remarkably, it is now believed they can be used to fight depression, including postpartum depression, help Bipolar disorder and attention deficit disorder. They can also reduce stress and any resulting anger and violent behavior.

One of the ways it does all of this is increasing the levels of serotonin in the mind. This neurotransmitter determines how happy or depressed a person will feel. So by taking fish oil, you will improve your mood, and not be psychologically in need of self-medicating yourself to feel better by reaching for some carbohydrates to raise your blood sugar to a higher level, and give yourself a food induced mental “High”. In addition, fish oil increases the blood flow within the brain, and it has been found that depressed people are suffering from a decreased blood flow in the brain. By taking fish oil you will have improved blood flow within the brain which provides better distribution of those nutrients that are critical to a well functioning and positive feeling brain, such as oxygen and glucose, the main fuel for the brain.

Omega-3s will help keep you from developing any chronic diseases as you grow older, and at the same time enable you to have more concentration and be able to think more clearly, and, in addition, be able to handle stress better. Thus, you can easily see how such a supplement will be invaluable for the health of all those taking it and greatly improve both your mental and physical health.

It is also important to take Fish Oil during and after pregnancy to get adequate supplies of EPA and DHA, both for the health of the mother and the developing fetus. The DHA in Fish Oil is very important for the optimal development of fetus’ brain during gestation. After giving birth, it is better to continue supplementing with fish oil to both avoid postpartum depression, and to maintain high levels of DHA in the breast milk for the developing baby.

(Just a note here regarding the flax seed and flax seed oil that you may have heard some people are presently using to get Omega-3s.These are not the same Omega-3s as the ones in Fish oil. Flax Omega-3s are shorter chain. It is the longer chain Omega-3s from Fish Oil, called EPA & DHA, that are the ones that give the health benefits described in this article. Some people mistakenly think flax is an appropriate way to get DHA and EPA because the body has the ability to change the shorter chain Omegas into long chain Omegas. The problem with this is that the process to do this is very long and difficult, so that in the end very little of the valuable DHA & EPA is produced at all, making Flax, ultimately, a very poor source of the valuable DHA & EPA Omega-3s after all.)

The best way to get all the benefits of Omega-3s is to regularly take fish oil. However, as mentioned above, it is important that you take fish oil that is very pure because many of the fish in the world, and therefore the oils produced from them, are highly contaminated with mercury and toxic industrial chemicals. At this time I want to call your attention to the best source for pharmaceutical grade fish oil. A company called Nutracell formulates Cerebrafil, which I highly recommend over any other omega-3 supplements that I have reviewed, because of its potency and purity. Their natural triglyceride form of omega-3 fish oils is better absorbed by the body than the commonly used ethyl ester form. It would be wise to take this supplement daily and incorporate it into your life on a regular basis. It would be prudent to order Cerebrafil through their Autoship program to save on shipping. Use promo code “Doctor Referred” and you will be able to participate in their special promotions that are made available to the patients of doctors advocating the use of this superior product.

(It is, of course, not advisable to take Cod Liver Oil for the reasons regarding contamination above. And also, in order to get enough Omega-3s from Cod Liver Oil you would have to take so much that you would be overdosing on vitamin A & Vitamin D. In short, it is not recommended at all.)

A final note: you should ensure an adequate intake of antioxidants while taking your pharmaceutical grade fish oil. This can be easily taken care of by consuming lots of fruits and vegetables, which you should be doing anyway, to live a healthier life. You can also increase your antioxidants by using a cold pressed, extra-virgin olive oil, and preferably one that comes from organically grown olives. (Interestingly, Olive oil is very high in antioxidants because it is from a fruit! (Olives), instead of a seed, like many of the other commonly used oils available in the supermarket.) Another way to insure you have an adequate amount of antioxidants in your body when you are taking your pharmaceutical grade fish oil is to take 100 to 400 I. U. (International Units) of Vitamin E daily.