UC studies fish oil as bipolar remedy

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati want to know if fish oil, long known for boosting heart health, can prevent bipolar disorder in children and teens.

Psychiatrist Maria DelBello is recruiting children and teens who have extreme moodiness or depression, as well as children and teens who have a parent with bipolar disorder.

Those children and teens are at higher risk for one day developing bipolar disorder, a serious mental illness characterized by severe mood swings, shifts in energy levels and erratic behavior.

The disorder affects about 5.7 million adults in the United States. It's found equally in men and women, and is the sixth-leading cause of disability worldwide. About two-thirds of people with bipolar disorder have a close relative with it or with major depression.

But clinicians are often frustrated in trying to treat them appropriately, DelBello said.

"They often present with symptoms that look like depression or ADHD," she said. "And we think the meds we have available may precipitate mania. There's biological evidence to support that, and we see it clinically all the time."

A growing body of research suggests the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil supplements may protect brain development and prevent the chemical imbalances that lead to serious mental illnesses. Omega-3 fatty acids are also found in cold water fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines, as well as walnuts, flax and pumpkin seeds.

Earlier this month, Austrian researchers announced findings that fish oil supplements seemed to prevent the onset of full-blown psychosis in teens and young adults at-risk for developing schizophrenia.

"It's a pretty remarkable effect," DelBello said.

Previously published research has shown that people with depression and schizophrenia have low levels of the omega-3 oil DHA in their brains.

DelBello and other researchers believe omega-3 fatty acids stabilize structures in the brain that allow neurochemical signals between cells to operate efficiently. Those signals govern brain function and mood.

If the compounds are safe and effective, they'd give clinicians alternatives with fewer side effects than current medications, DelBello said, as well as helping prevent the onset of diseases that are often disabling.

DelBello's study is part of ongoing research at UC looking at the impact of omega-3 fatty acids on brain function.

Researcher Robert McNamara has done several studies on the compounds.

Studies done in lab rats show animals deprived of omega-3 fatty acids exhibit signs of depression and aggressive behavior, he said. Those animals are also found to be deficient in the neurochemicals governing those behaviors.

McNamara has a study in the current online edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showing that the omega-3 fatty acid DHA improved boys' ability to focus during cognitive tasks when compared to placebo.

The compounds show great promise, he said.

"DHA deficiency is potentially part of the physiology of these disorders," he said. "Replacing it, normalizing it makes a lot more sense than just sort of treating the symptoms."