Posted on 01/30/2011 10:47:40 AM PST by decimon
Neuroscience of nutrition
How maternal essential fatty acid deficiency impact on its progeny is poorly understood. Dietary insufficiency in omega-3 fatty acid has been implicated in many disorders. Researchers from Inserm and INRA and their collaborators in Spain collaboration, have studied mice fed on a diet low in omega-3 fatty acid. They discovered that reduced levels of omega-3 had deleterious consequences on synaptic functions and emotional behaviours. Details of this work are available in the online version of the journal Nature neuroscience, which can be accessed at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nn.2736
In industrialized nations, diets have been impoverished in essential fatty acids since the beginning of the 20th century. The dietary ratio between omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid omega-3 increased continuously over the course of the 20th century. These fatty acids are "essential" lipids because the body cannot synthesize them from new. They must therefore be provided through food and their dietary balance is essential to maintain optimal brain functions.
Olivier Manzoni (Head of Research Inserm Unit 862, "Neurocentre Magendie", in Bordeaux and Unit 901 "Institut de Neurobiologie de la Méditerranée" in Marseille), and Sophie Layé (Head of Research at INRA Unit 1286, "Nutrition et Neurobiologie Intégrative" in Bordeaux) and their co-workers hypothesized that chronic malnutrition during intra-uterine development, may later influence synaptic activity involved in emotional behaviour (e.g. depression, anxiety) in adulthood.
To verify their hypotheses, the researchers studied mice fed a life-long diet imbalanced in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. They found that omega-3 deficiency disturbed neuronal communication specifically. The researchers observed that only the cannabinoid receptors, which play a strategic role in neurotransmission, suffer a complete loss of function. This neuronal dysfunction was accompanied by depressive behaviours among the malnourished mice.
Among omega-3 deficient mice, the usual effects produced by cannabinoid receptor activation, on both the synaptic and behavioural levels, no longer appear. Thus, the CB1R receptors lose their synaptic activity and the antioxidant effect of the cannabinoids disappears.
Consequently, the researchers discovered that among mice subjected to an omega-3 deficient dietary regime, synaptic plasticity, which is dependent on the CB1R cannabinoid receptors, is disturbed in at least two structures involved with reward, motivation and emotional regulation: the prefrontal cortex and the nucleus accumbens. These parts of the brain contain a large number of CB1R cannabinoid receptors and have important functional connections with each other.
"Our results can now corroborate clinical and epidemiological studies which have revealed associations between an omega-3/omega-6 imbalance and mood disorders", explain Olivier Manzoni and Sophie Layé. "To determine if the omega-3 deficiency is responsible for these neuropsychiatric disorders additional studies are, of course, required".
In conclusion, the authors estimate that their results provide the first biological components of an explanation for the observed correlation between omega-3 poor diets, which are very widespread in the industrialized world, and mood disorders such as depression.
###
For more information
Source
« Nutritional Omega-3 deficiency abolishes endocannabinoid mediated neuronal functions » Mathieu Lafourcade1,3#, Thomas Larrieu2,3#, Susana Mato4#, Anais Duffaud2,3, Marja Sepers1,3, Isabelle Matias1,3, Veronique De Smedt2,3, Virginie Labrousse2,3, Lionel Bretillon6, Carlos Matute4, Rafael Rodríguez-Puertas5, Sophie Layé2,3,¶,° and Olivier J. Manzoni1,3,7,8,9, ¶,°
1 Unité Inserm 862, Physiopathology of Synaptic Plasticity Group, Neurocentre Magendie, 146 Rue Léo—Saignat, F 33077 Bordeaux Cedex, France.
2 INRA UMR 1286, CNRS UMR 5226, PsyNuGen, F 33077 Bordeaux Cedex, France.
3 University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, F 33077, France.
4 Department of Neuroscience and 5 Department of Pharmacology, University of the Basque Country, 48940 Leioa, Bizkaia, Spain.
6 UMR1324 CGSA, INRA, 17 Rue Sully, 21065 Dijon, France.
7 Unité Inserm901, Marseille, 13009, France.
8 Université de la Méditerranée UMR S901 Aix-Marseille 2, France.
9 INMED, Marseille,
Nature Neuroscience, 30 janvier 2011 http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nn.2736
Contacts chercheurs
Olivier Manzoni Directeur de recherche Inserm Tel.: 04 91 82 81 37 Mel : olivier.manzoni@inserm.fr
Sophie Layé Directeur de recherche INRA Tel: 05 57 57 12 32 Mel: sophie.laye@bordeaux.inra.fr
It's uber cheap and available everywhere, my local grocery store has it's own brand that is very good and every few months it's half price, that alone makes me happy!
1. I don’t believe it’s true.
2. Reading their articles without skepticism is just allowing them to brainwash us. Look at how they are blaming Industrialized countries : this at least we can all agree is pure rubbish.
Blaming the industrialized countries for what? They're saying that diets within the industrialized countries could be better than they've become.
Well, I was also skeptical because I thought taking all those vitamins was just a racket. I can only tell you what worked for me. My diastolic and systolic readings both dropped after only two months with fish oil. I tried it because my doctor wanted to increase my medication. I researched high blood pressure and what natural products would help and that is how I found fish oil. I only take one a day. Not sure if there would be greater benefits with additional tablets. I should try it out just before my next doctor appointment to see if it would make a difference.
“I freeze my fish oil and never get an aftertaste.”
Switch to krill oil capsules. No fishy taste or burps. Much smaller capsules for the same amount of Omega 3.
Thank you for sharing your positive experiences.
My general philosophy is that if something might help, and it’s very unlikely to harm, it’s worth a try.
Thanks for posting this. Funny, isn’t it, that fish was referred to by our ancestors as “brain food” long before there was such a branch of science known as neuroscience.
I should be ecstatically happy then. I’m taking anywhere from 30,000 to 60,000 units a day, because I was a dummy, and forgot to get my flu shot when my doctor demanded I go in for a check up. So far, it seems to be working. I’ve started to get a couple of colds that went away immediately.
Are the fish and berry in one capsule? Brand name and dosage, please.
Yes. It would be interesting to know the origin of that expression.
Hmmmm, hmmmmm, hmmmm.
I feel a bit guilty when my food is watching me consume it.
“... if something might help, and it’s very unlikely to harm, it’s worth a try”.
I know that some people react differently to statins and prescription medicine can be harmful to the liver (plus the side effects). To me, if you can cure something (and forgo a daily prescribed pill) then it is a good thing.
He uses Purity Products. The pills are called OmegaBerry. He takes two capsules a day. The pills look kind of big but are torpedo shaped and go down easily. You can empty the oil out into juice or a spoon if you are the type of person that has difficulty swallowing. Each pill contains 1250 mg of Omega 3 fatty acids and 20 mg of berry (acai,acerola, blackberry, wild bilberry, wild blueberry, camu camu, tart cherry, coffeeberry, cranberry, grape, pomegranate ). This specific brand has highly refined and concentrated omega. You can take them on an empty stomach or with food... whatever one you choose. You can also take them at once (he does in the morning) or spread them out. Mom
“...antioxidant effect of the cannabinoids...?” Holy cow.
"It wasn't to get high, Your Honor. I was controlling my free radical."
Is that infectious depression or depressing infection?
I’ve switched to krill oil. I just couldn’t stand the fish burps any more. I hate all things fish, so to be able to get the benefits of the fish in the krill is great. Wish the krill was higher in EPA DHA though, but some reading I’ve done says you don’t need as much in the krill because it’s easier to absorb.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.