It seems like every time I turn around there's another cool
study on omega-3s, this time linking neurotic behavior to
low levels of omega-3s in the blood. Researchers looked at
measures of anxiety, angry hostility, depression,
self-consciousness, impulsivity and vulnerability.
Amazingly, all but 'vulnerability' correlated with omega-3
and omega-6 concentrations in the blood. Folks that had
more of a specific omega-3, called EPA, had better scores
(less neurotic) and those with higher levels of an omega-6,
called AA, had worse scores (more neurotic). The studies,
published by Conklin et al. in Psychosomatic Medicine, are
the first to link the omega fats to neuroticism in
otherwise healthy adults.
It's all in the Balancing Act.
I have written several articles in the past talking about
the importance of maintaining a good omega-3 to omega-6
balance in your diet. In light of the new data associating
both types of omegas with neuroticism, in opposite
directions, a few more details seem pertinent.
First off, you can't really label omega-3s as 'good' and
omega-6s as 'bad'. We need them both, but we need them in
balance. Nutritionists believe that the perfect balance
lies somewhere between 1:1 and 1:5 of 3s to 6s, and this is
probably what we ate throughout most of history, up to
about 100 years ago.
Today, the average western diet is about 1:20 in favor of
omega-6s. This has created an imbalance and a need for more
3s and less 6s, which has earned the 6s a reputation as
'bad'. But like I said, you need them both.
For one example, omega-6s help turn the immune system on.
Without them, you can't mount much of a defense against
bacterial invaders. But, too much of them and the immune
system may get out of control and lead to excessive
inflammation. Unfortunately, this seems to be exactly what
is happening in many westerners and may underlie a lot of
things, like heart disease, some cancers and even
Alzheimer's dementia.
On the flip side of that, if you over-do the omega-3s and
cut out all the 6s (tough to do in the western diet) then
your blood may get too thin, unable to coagulate and lead
to bleeding disorders.
So like I said....balance is key. Since omega-6s are found
in high amounts in corn oil and many other common vegetable
oils, we get plenty of those. Omega-3s on the other hand
are found mostly in fish and fish oil supplements, as well
as a few uncommon oils, like flaxseed. So, it's still wise
to try to increase your omega-3s and reduce your 6s because
of the foods we typically eat. Personally, I take a fish
oil supplement and plan to continue that.
The Long and Short of It.
One other point needs addressing regarding omega-3s. You
see them everywhere: on cereal boxes, crackers, and all
kinds of processed foods. But, this isn't really what you
want. Omega-3s come in different forms, from short to long.
The short forms are what you get out of flaxseed and other
vegetable oils that have good amounts of omega-3s (some of
these are also high in 6s, which the products don't
advertise). However, it's the long forms that are required
for brain health and that seem to be protective against
depression and neuroticism in recent studies.
Some animals can eat the short forms and convert them to
long forms, but humans aren't very good at that. Cows and
chickens, on the other hand, do okay, which is another
health reason for eating free-range beef and poultry. Their
meats are higher in omega-3s. If the cows and chickens eat
grain feed (mostly corn) they load up on omega-6s. If they
eat grasses they load up on omega-3s.
Still, the best source of long chain omega-3s are fish or
fish oil supplements. Fish are great at converting short
chain to long chain AND they eat a lot of long chain
omega-3s as well. The other alternative is to eat the stuff
that fish eat, like marine algae or insects, but I think
I'll stick to the fish source.
Reference: Psychosomatic Medicine (2007), 69:932-34
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