Adjusting fatty acid intake may help with mood variability in bipolar disorders (Omega-6 makes it worse, Omega-3 makes it better)

ScienceDaily / Penn State / Bipolar Disorders ^ | Sept. 23, 2021 | Zachary Sweger / Erika F. H. Saunders, Dahlia Mukherjee, Tiffany Myers, Emily Wasserman et al

[ConservativeMind]

Can specific dietary guidelines help people living with bipolar disorders better manage their health? Maybe someday, according to a new study by Penn State College of Medicine researchers. Clinical trial results showed that a diet designed to alter levels of specific fatty acids consumed by participants may help patients have less variability in their mood.

Bipolar disorders, which affect up to 2.4% of the population, are mental health conditions where individuals experience cyclic and abnormally elevated and/or depressed mood states.

…Saunders and her colleagues designed a diet to alter the levels of specific polyunsaturated fatty acids -- nutrients found in many foods -- participants consumed while participating in usual care for bipolar disorders, including mood-stabilizing medication. Prior research showed that medications for treating bipolar disorders change the way bodies break down, or metabolize, fatty acids. The byproducts of this process activate different parts of the immune system and include other chemical processes that affect how the body perceives pain, a common symptom reported by people living with bipolar disorders.

The researchers hypothesized that by changing the type and amount of fatty acids consumed, the body would generate metabolites with specific purposes, such as reducing pain or inflammation. The experimental diet decreased omega-6 fatty acid consumption by limiting red meat, eggs and certain oils, and increased omega-3 fatty acid consumption by adding flax seed and fatty fishes like tuna and salmon.

Twice a day they completed surveys on their mobile devices about their mood, pain and other symptoms. Throughout the study participants also had bloodwork taken so researchers could measure fatty acid levels and how the food was affecting their bodies. According to the researchers, the experimental diet improved mood variability in patients with bipolar disorders.

[ConservativeMind]

I had a girlfriend who desperately needed help with her bipolar episodes. No one could handle it when she was down, but she was fun to be around every third or so day.

[DuncanWaring]

(Omega-6 makes it worse, Omega-3 makes it better)

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You can say that about a lot of things.

[rarestia]

Rush was right. He discussed this on his show years ago.