Dec 2, 2019
Omega 3 as Depression & Anxiety Treatment
In this video, we introduce Robert D. McMullen, MD who is a psychiatrist in NYC who has been performing psychopharmacology for over 30 years, the last 10 of which include transcranial magnetic stimulation(TMS). Today, he will discuss some omega 3 as a treatment for depression and bipolar disorder.
Firstly, studies have shown that if you take omega 3 it really helps with depression. The main fat that helps is the EPA and a recommended dosage would be at least 2 grams a day. This was first described in a paper in 1999 by Andrew Stoll who had remarkable results testing fish oil on patients with depression. According to Dr. McMullen’s calculation, to achieve the results he did with his study, Dr. Stoll must have been giving his patients 18 pills a day of fish oil. Furthermore, one of Dr. McMullen’s patients has been receiving 18 pills a day of fish oil pills for depression since 1999. Whenever his dosage is decreased to 10, the patient immediately falls back into the depression and remits as soon as the dosage is increased, which further shows the positive effects of fish oil supplements on treating depression.
Secondly, apart from double-blind studies performed, there are also observational studies performed that support fish oil supplements as a treatment for depression. One such study shows that Japanese people and Eskimos have very low depression rates. This is due to the fact that these people eat very large amounts of fish, meaning they consume large amounts of Omega-3.
Thirdly, there are a number of different types of lipids that are not equal in effect. Likewise, Omega 3 and Omega 6, in particular, have different benefits as well. Humans have 6 to 10 times as much Omega 6 (which we obtain from corn oil) than Omega 3 (which we obtain from fish oil) in the body, which is not good for our bodies. This due to the fact that the walls of our brain cells are made up of 40% of EPA and DHA, which are fats that we obtain from fish. Due to the fact that a lot of our food contains corn oil, our Omega-3 becomes a smaller part of our diet which affects the Omega 3 levels in the brain. Our ancestors consumed a lot more Omega 3 due to the fact their diet consisted mainly of plants and lean wild animals such as deer, both of which contain a lot of EPA and DHA. Therefore, limiting the daily consumption of saturated fats containing corn oil, and taking 2 fish oil pills a day will help us greatly in increasing our Omega-3 levels, which has shown to help with depression.
These are just some of the findings presented in the video above regarding Omega-3 as a treatment for depression. For more information, call TMS Braincare at (212) 362-9635, or fill out a contact form at https://tmsbraincare.com/ today!
