Good Mood Food: Feeling Finer From Fats
Based on the posting “Mood
and Food: The Oil Connection” by Christine Cox, at
nutritionadvocate.com
Edited (with Introduction) by Dr. Don Rose, Writer,
Life Alert
--
Fit fats? From fish? Fatty food’s fabulous?
Find facts! Findings about foods filled with fatty acids have been published often
in recent years – for example, in reference to the consumption of fish. Read below
for info on how intake of omega-3’s (found in certain fish and in other sources)
can mitigate depression, as well as other examples of how fats can improve our state
of mental wellbeing. --Don Rose
--
Introduction
It's no news that the kind
of fat you eat affects your heart, but did you know that it also affects your head?
Mind you, I’m talking about the mind. Studies seem to point to this conclusion,
as anxiety, depression, memory and even schizophrenia appear to be influenced by
the amounts and types of fat you choose or avoid.
Fats and Mental Health
While low-fat
diets appear to be good for our physical health, several studies indicate that
cutting down the
fat too much may be bad for our mental health.
British researchers found
that young adult test subjects had substantially less anxiety and hostility on a
diet getting a whopping 41% of its calories from the greasy stuff than they did
on a moderate-fat diet of 25% calories from fats.
Researchers
in
Louisiana
fed rats diets high in protein, carbohydrates or fat, and
watched their responses to anxiety-provoking situations. Like their human counterparts,
the rodents on the high-fat chow had less anxiety when coping with new, slightly
threatening situations.
Cholesterol and Depression
Another piece
of the puzzle is the common finding that
very low cholesterol levels, which are partly linked to
low dietary fat intake, are associated with depression.
This doesn't indicate, however, that those enviable low levels are the cause of
the low mood. Researchers suggest it's possible that the low levels could be the
result of the depression, through mechanisms not yet understood. Nevertheless, this
cholesterol-and-depression link, together with the studies cited above, certainly
seems provocative, and worthy of further inquiry.
Does this mean
that when we get especially stressed we should drench our baked potatoes with butter
and reach for more cheesecake? Not really. Many studies indicate that, when it comes to affecting
mood and mind, it's not necessarily the amount of fat in the diet that counts, but
rather the type of fat.
Omega-3: A Mega Good Fatty Acid
A certain type
of fatty acid, called
omega-3, is found in fish as well as in plant
sources such as walnuts, flax seed and purslane. It is also widely available in
supplements. The good news: it appears to have
a remarkable capacity to help us fight both anxiety and
depression. Since omega-3 makes up a large part
of the fat in the brain, perhaps it isn't surprising that diets rich in this type
of fat can influence the way we feel on a Monday morning.
Recently, a
broad-based study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism looked
at the relationship of eating patterns around the world to clinical depression.
They found this causal link: the more fish eaten (and hence the more omega-3 consumed),
the less the amount of depression. And a 1998
British study found that those people having the severest depressions were those
who consumed the lowest amounts of omega-3 fatty acids.
Even schizophrenia seems
to respond to an increased intake of omega-3, according to two British studies.
Symptoms of this severe disease decreased significantly with the addition of this
fatty acid.
Conclusion
While these studies are certainly
suggestive, it isn't clear that we should start piling oily foods on our plate.
First, a high fat diet is correlated with increased heart disease and cancer. Second,
studies indicate that even if we add omega-3s to our diet, they won't do much good
if we're also eating a lot of fats of other types, such as animal fats and even
vegetable oils.
The wisest course may be
to follow a generally low-fat diet, but to add small amounts of oils rich in omega-3,
such as canola or olive oils, to our salads and stir-fries.
References
Belzung C et al. Alpha-linolenic
acid deficiency modifies distractibility but not anxiety and locomotion in rats
during aging. J Nutrition September 1998.
Edwards R et al. Omega-3
polyunsaturated fatty acid levels in the diet and in red blood cell membranes of
depressed patients. J Affect Disord March 1998.
Edwards R, Peet M, Shay J,
Horrobin D. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid levels in the diet and in red blood
cell membranes of depressed patients. J of Affect Disord March 1998.
Laugharne JD, Mellor JE,
Peet M. Fatty Acids and schizophrenia. Lipids March 1996.
Peet M, Laugharne JD, Mellor
J, Ramchand CN. Essential fatty acid deficiency in erythrocyte membranes from chronic
schizophrenic patients, and the clinical effects of dietary supplementation. Prostaglandins
Leukot Essent Fatty Acids August 1996.
Prasad A et al. Short-term
consumption of a diet rich in fat decreases anxiety response in adult male rats.
Physiol Behav September 1996.
Prasad A, Prasad C. Short-term
consumption of a diet rich in fat decreases anxiety response in adult male rats.
Physiol Behav Sep 1996.
Wells AS, Read
NW, Laugharne JD,
Ahluwalia NS
. Alterations in mood after changing to a low-fat diet.
Brit J of Nutr Jan 1998.
Wells et al. Alterations
in mood after changing to a low-fat diet. Br J Nutr January 1998.
The article above and the content it is based on are
covered by a Creative Commons License. The information provided
is, to the best of our knowledge, reliable and accurate. However, while
Life Alert always strives to provide true, precise and
consistent information, we cannot guarantee 100 percent accuracy. Readers are encouraged
to gather more information before drawing conclusions and making decisions.
Dr. Don Rose writes
books, papers and articles on many topics, including computers, the Internet, artificial
intelligence, science and technology, and issues related to seniors.
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