Omega-3 vetzuren voor een betere gemoedstoestand.*
Uit eerdere onderzoeken zoals dierenonderzoek waaruit bleek dat omega-3 vetzuren de hersenstructuur kan veranderen en onder mensen waar lage bloedwaarden omega-3 gerelateerd waren aan een negatieve instelling (zie nieuwsartikel). Uit dit onderzoek onder 55 gezonde mensen blijkt dat zij die de meeste omega-3 vetzuren eten duidelijk meer grijze massa in de hersenen hebben, vooral in dat gedeelte van de hersenen wat de gemoedstoestand regelt. Dit gedeelte is trouwens ook het deel dat bij gemoedsproblemen zoals een depressie kleiner is.
Why
Omega-3s Seem To Improve Mood
Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fatty fish like salmon, are associated with
increased grey matter volume in areas of the brain commonly linked to mood and
behavior according to a University of Pittsburgh study.
Findings were presented by Sarah M. Conklin, Ph.D., postdoctoral scholar at the
Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine Program in the department of psychiatry at
the University of Pittsburgh, at the American Psychosomatic Society's Annual
Meeting, held in Budapest, Hungary.
Animal research has shown that raising omega-3 intake leads to structural brain
changes. In a separate study presented by Dr. Conklin at the society's meeting
last year, Pitt researchers reported that people who had lower blood levels of
omega-3 fatty acids were more likely to have a negative outlook and be more
impulsive. Conversely, those with higher blood levels of omega-3s were found to
be more agreeable and less likely to report mild or moderate symptoms of
depression. In the study, the researchers sought to investigate if grey matter
volume was proportionally related to long-chain omega-3 intake in humans,
especially in areas of the brain related to mood, helping them attempt to
explain the mechanisms behind the improvement in mood often associated with
long-chain omega-3 intake.
Researchers interviewed 55 healthy adult participants to determine their average
intake of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. Grey matter volume was evaluated using
high-resolution structural MRI. The researchers discovered that participants who
had high levels of long-chain omega-3 fatty acid intake had higher volumes of
grey matter in areas of the brain associated with emotional arousal and
regulation - the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex, the right amygdala and the
right hippocampus.
While this finding suggests that omega-3s may promote structural improvement in
areas of the brain related to mood and emotion regulation - the same areas where
grey matter is reduced in people who have mood disorders such as major
depressive disorder - investigators note that more research is needed to
determine whether fish consumption actually causes changes in the brain. (April 2007)
(Opm. Meer over Omega-3
en over vetzuren in het algemeen.)