Study: Fish Oil May Reduce Risk of Psychosis

(Feb. 2) -- Patients at a high risk of developing schizophrenia are often treated with low-dose anti-psychotics in a bid to ward off the disorder. Now, a study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry suggests that fish oil might offer similar benefits with fewer potential side effects.

A Vienna-based study looked at whether regular doses of fish oil could prevent schizophrenia among young, at-risk patients age 13 to 25. Of the 81 study participants, 41 were given fish oil tablets four times a day, for three months. Only two patients in the fish oil group developed a psychotic disorder a year later, while 11 of the placebo group did.

Previous studies have suggested a link between fatty acids, like those found in fish, and mental health. And in countries such as Norway and Japan, where fish is a major dietary staple, mental illnesses are less prevalent.

Using fish oil to treat or prevent mental illness is based on a hypothesis that disorders such as schizophrenia develop because of the body's inability to properly manage fatty acid absorption, leading to brain cell damage. Researchers speculate that the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil might help repair those cells. Omega-3s are also integral to the release of dopamine and serotonin, two brain chemicals implicated in schizophrenia.

And no need for large doses; this study prescribed 1,200 milligrams a day, which costs less than 40 cents and is approximately what's already recommended for heart health by the American Heart Association.

Other preliminary studies suggest that fish oil might protect against Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, and slow the progression of prostate cancer. But researchers advise caution in choosing a supplement. After growing concerns about contamination, the University of Guelph launched an International Fish Oil Standards program, offering third-party validation of a supplement's safety.

Next up for the research team is a larger, international study of 320 at-risk patients, in hopes of replicating the findings and lending more credence to the potential for omega-3 supplements as a preventive mental health medicine.

Source : AOL News