Essential Fatty Acids Essential For Mental Health

Omega-3 and omega-6 are essential fatty acids. Lab research suggests that the fats affect certain brain chemicals involved in nerve-cell communication and inflammation. The body cannot make them on its own, we obtain them from our food. In modern diets, there are few sources of omega-3 fatty acids, mainly cold water fish such as salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel, canola oil,  walnuts, flaxseeds, leafy vegetables and chia seeds.Omega 3s are necessary for the membranes of neurons in our brain.

By contrast, sources of omega-6 fatty acids are numerous in modern diets. They are found in seeds, nuts, and refined vegetable oils, such as soy oil, that is used in most of the snack foods, cookies, crackers, and sweets in the American diet as well as in fast food. Soybean oil alone is now so common in fast foods and processed foods that an astounding 20 percent of the calories in the American diet are estimated to come from this single source. I won’t go into the possibility that the soy could be GMO.

The body also constructs hormones from  fatty acids. In general, hormones derived from the two classes of essential fatty acids have opposite effects. Those from omega 6s tend to increase inflammation (an important component of the immune response), blood clotting, and cell proliferation, while those from omega 3s decrease those functions. Both families of hormones must be in balance to maintain optimum health.

This dietary imbalance may explain the rise of such diseases as asthma, coronary heart disease, many forms of cancer, autoimmunity and neurodegenerative diseases, all of which are believed to stem from inflammation in the body. The imbalance between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids may also contribute to obesity, depression, dyslexia, hyperactivity and even a tendency toward violence.

Bringing the fats into proper proportion may actually relieve those conditions, according to Joseph Hibbeln, M.D., a psychiatrist at the National Institutes of Health, and perhaps the world’s leading authority on the relationship between fat consumption and mental health.

If you follow a anti-inflammatory diet, you should can get a healthy ratio of these fatty acids (1:1). In general, however, you can cut down on omega-6 levels by reducing consumption of processed and fast foods and polyunsaturated vegetable oils (corn, sunflower, safflower, soy, and cottonseed, for example). At home, use extra virgin olive oil for cooking and in salad dressings. Eat more oily fish, walnuts, flax seeds, and Chia seeds ( I sprinkle them on everything) for more omega 3s.

Advertisement

Vaccinations and Tourette

“It’s not the vaccines that are the problem-it’s the additives” professor Ricard Deth, Northeastern University.

Common additives to vaccines include mercury, aluminum, formaldehyde, MSG, sulfites, and antifreeze. Each of these have been associated with brain and nerve damage. Is Tourette a genetic problem or did our children get this disorder because of required vaccinations?