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Omega 3 EPA: Nature's Very Own Anti
Depressant
David McEvoy
Copyright 2005 David McEvoy
Since Dr Malcolm Peet, a consultant psychiatrist at Sheffield swallow court
hospital released his findings about the effects of Ethyl Epa and its effects on
people suffering from depression and low moods, many other studies have been
performed using Ethyl Epa to help treat depression and related disorders. The
vast majority of the studies that have been performed consistently confirmed
that Ethyl Epa, a natural substance found in omega 3 fish oil, helps relieve
depression and low moods.
The idea that high grade omega 3 EPA could be used to help combat depression and
other related disorders came from the late Dr Horribin, who as early as the
1970s was a pioneer in lipid research involving the brain and central nervous
system. Since the findings at Sheffield, studies have been conducted round the
world, Harvard university 1999, London Hammersmith hospital 2001 and Israel Ben
Gurion University 2002 to name but a few.
EPA As Part Of A Healthy Diet
EPA is part of the Omega 3 chain of ecosanoids and is most commonly found in
fatty fish such as fresh salmon, mackerel, pilchards and sardines. Over the past
100 years the diet patterns of most people in the west has shifted dramatically
to include far more hydrogenated oils and Trans fatty acids (bad fats) this is
largely due to the increased consumption of fast food and ready made meals. Even
people who think they eat a healthy diet consume way too much omega 6 and not
enough omega 3.
Researchers have recently found that a diet high in Tran’s fatty acids could
affect the mood stabilizing hormones within the brain, this is thought to be due
to the saturated fats slowing down the messaging system within the brain, should
this happen then the onset of depression could occur.
How Does EPA Work?
While the benefits of high grade EPA have been well documented, the scientific
community still don’t know exactly how EPA works on the brain, one theory
released by Dr Basant Puri is that it eases the passage of the signals over the
tiny gaps in the brain called synapses. Another theory was that the high Grade
Epa actually worked similar to lithium and had anti depressant properties of its
own.
Until recently it was widely accepted in the medical community that once a human
reached maturity that the adult brain could not grow anymore, in a recent paper
just released by Dr Puri his findings show other wise. Dr Puri scanned a 21 year
patient before treating him with high grade Pure Epa, after the course of
treatment he rescanned the young man only to find that the grey matter of the
brain had increased in size.
Omega 3 EPA And The Body
As well as EPA being very good for helping to balance mood it has other well
documented effects on the body, these included:-
• Blood thinning properties
• Decrease risk of heart attack
• Decrease growth rate of atherosclerotic plaque
• Slightly lower blood pressure
There is also some limited scientific evidence to show that high grade EPA has
helped people suffering from:-
• Bipolar disorder
• PMS
• Chronic fatigue syndrome / ME
• Huntington’s disease
• Fibromyalgia
• Obsessive compulsive disorder
• Schizophrenia
• ADHD
• ADD
Although more research needs to be done in these areas, the current evidence
looks very promising.
EPA Versus DHA
Omega 3 fish oil contains another omega 3 nutrient called DHA, there is a
currently a controversial argument as to which omega 3 nutrient is the more
beneficial in dealing with depression and related disorders. This Argument is
born from doctors who have used high grade Epa , Horribin, Puri and Peet They
claim that the higher the ratio of Epa to Dha the more effective the results
have been, just recently Dr Andrew Stoll has also come out in support of this
theory.
EPA From Food
Any good doctor or nutritionist will tell you that the best way to get any
nutrient is to eat a very balanced diet of the correct amount of carbohydrates ,
protein and omega essential fatty acids. In the case of Omega 3 epa this would
be in the form of fish, unfortunately due to the high concentration levels of
epa needed to obtain a therapeutic dose you would have to consume a large amount
of oily fish daily and sadly due to the pollution levels found in our oceans
today this is not advisable.
Omega 3 Epa can also be found in high doses in certain fish oil supplements,
when choosing a fish oil supplement you should choose only the fish oil of the
highest quality it should also have as high an EPA to DHA ratio as possible,for
maximum therapeutic effect.
Conclusion
The large majority of scientific trails using high grade Omega 3 Ethyl Epa point
towards this natural oil being very beneficial for many conditions. The argument
about the DHA rages on and probably will until some solid scientific evidence is
presented to us .In the mean time a product with a high EPA to DHA ratio is
considered more beneficial by some leading UK doctors.
Dave McEvoy: A great resource for high grade omega 3 Ethly EPA , with a 90%
concentrate of EPA and Zero DHA visit http://www.mind1st.co.uk
This article is reprinted with permission from www.WritingCareer.com |
