Omega-3 from A to Z
August/September 2006 Newsletter

Brought to you by Omega-3 Brain Booster ^TM
Is your supply running low? Go online and order today!

www.Omega3powder.com

As the leading cause of disability in the United States, depression affects millions of people, and most of them don’t even know they are suffering from depression. Even more alarming is that depression is not just seriously affecting adults, but children and adolescents as well.

Here are a few facts about depression:

• Major depression is the leading cause of disability and absenteeism in the United States, costing employers $51 billion per year in lost productivity [1]
• Depressive disorders affect approximately 18.8 million American adults or about 9.5% of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year.[2]
• Women are affected by depression almost twice as often as men [3]
• Pre-schoolers are the fastest-growing market for antidepressants. At least four percent of preschoolers – over a million – are clinically depressed. [4]
• The rate of increase of depression among children is an astounding 23%. [5]
• 80% of depressed people are not currently having any treatment. [6]
• 15% of depressed people will commit suicide. [7]
• Depression will be the second largest killer after heart disease by 2020, and studies show depression is a contributory factor to fatal coronary disease. [8]

The first two articles in this newsletter focus on omega-3 fish oil as treatment for depression. With no side affects, omega-3 supplements are the safest and most effective natural way to treat depression. Omega-3 Brain Booster offers a safe and easy-to-use powder than can be stirred into juice or added to foods. Each adult serving is packed with 500mg of omega-3 EPA and DHA. The other two articles discuss how omega-3 can help maintain eye sight, lose weight, improve learning children’s ability, and reduce the effects of common illness in children.

Check out our Recipe of the Month after the Article Summaries.

Latest Omega-3 News & Research

- ABC World News – “Fish Oil Helps Treat Depression”
- Prevention Magazine – “Perfect Mood Food: Add another asset to omega-3 fat's resume: bad mood buster”
- Los Angeles Times – “Fit Briefs: Eat Smart, Look Smart”
- Medical Research News – “Omega-3 fatty acids in the news again”

Article Summaries

ABC World News
Fish Oil Helps Treat Depression
Study: Fish Oil Contains Natural Ingredients That Help Treat Depression
By John McKenzie

August 19, 2006

Scientists believe that omega-3 fatty acids can be an effective antidepressant. Researchers first became interested when they noticed that countries with the highest fish consumption also have the lowest depression rates. Their studies showed that when omega-3 was fed to animals, it had the same effect on the brain as the antidepressant drug Prozac – the omega-3 increased levels of serotonin.

The type of omega-3 with the most direct influence on the brain is DHA, and it cannot be made by the body. Seafood (principally fish oil) is the best source of DHA. One participant in the study reported a significant improvement after only three weeks of omega-3 supplementation.

Prevention Magazine
Perfect Mood Food: Add another asset to omega-3 fat's resume: bad mood buster
By Gloria McVeigh

August 2006

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found that eating more omega-3 fatty acids can decrease impulsiveness and depression. Although other studies have linked omega-3s to lower depression, this is the first to show possible mood-boosting in healthy people, say the scientists.

Los Angeles Times
Fit briefs: EAT SMART, LOOK SMART

August 7, 2006

A recent study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology found that people who ate at least three servings of fish per week were 75 percent less likely to develop macular degeneration, the deterioration of the part of the eye that lets people see fine detail.

Medical Research News
Omega-3 fatty acids in the news again

July 31, 2006

Researchers reported that a daily dose of omega-3 fish oil combined with moderate exercise can help obese people lose weight. Omega-3 was found to increase the body's fat-burning ability by improving the flow of blood to muscles during exercise.

Another study conducted in South Africa showed that daily supplementation of omega-3 fish oil can improve learning and memory in children. A study in Thailand reports that children who took a daily dose of omega-3 had a reduction in the severity and duration of common illnesses.

The article reports that people should consume at least 400mg of omega-3 per day, but most people don’t even get half that amount.

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Recipe of the Month

Homeade Italian Pasta Sauce with Omega-3

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Serves 4 to 6. Each portion will have 166 to 250mg of Omega-3.

Ingredients

1 clove of fresh garlic
A dash of crushed red pepper
½ cup of olive oil
Several dashes of basil (or several fresh basil leaves)
A dash of salt and pepper
1 can of Hunt’s tomato sauce
2 tsp. of Omega-3 Brain Booster

- In a pot, sauté minced garlic and crushed red pepper in olive oil
- Once the garlic is slightly browned, add 1 can of tomato sauce
- Stir in basil, salt, and pepper
- Bring to a boil
- Simmer on low heat for at least 30 minutes and stir occasionally
- Stir in 2 heaping teaspoons of Omega-3 Brain Booster
- Add to pasta and serve!

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Full Articles

ABC World News
Fish Oil Helps Treat Depression
Study: Fish Oil Contains Natural Ingredients That Help Treat Depression
By John McKenzie
August, 19, 2006

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Health/story?id=129498&page=1

Aug. 19 - — For years, researchers have been searching the seas, collecting rare sponges, coral and algae in the hope that the chemicals they contain might become potent medications.

Now some researchers say they've found an effective antidepressant below the waves: Fish, or more specifically, fish oil containing so-called omega-3 fatty acids.

"We've been very impressed by the response rates we've observed," said Dr. David Mischoulon, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital who has overseen an omega-3 clinical trial. "We believe there is definitely something to these treatments."

Scientists first became interested when they noticed that countries with the highest fish consumption had the lowest rates of depression. They also observed that mothers in England who ate very little fish during pregnancy doubled their risk of developing postpartum depression compared to women who ate fish regularly. So scientists began a series of studies to see why.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids Found to Have Same Effect

Researchers found that omega-3 fatty acids, when fed to piglets, had the same effect on the brain as the antidepressant Prozac: They raised levels of a critical neurotransmitter, serotonin.

"After only 18 days, those animals that were fed the enriched formula had double the level of serotonin in their frontal cortex, in the part of the brain that regulates depression and impulsivity," said Dr. Joseph Hibbeln, a senior clinical investigator at the National Institutes of Health.

Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated oils that cannot be made by the body and are derived primarily from seafood. The fatty acid with most direct influence on brain development and function is DHA.

"The DHA is highly concentrated in the brain," Hibbeln told ABCNEWS, "and it's concentrated in the brain right where the neurons communicate with each other and all the signals pass back and forth."

The DHA from omega-3 makes up the walls of neurons, Hibbeln said. "The body cannot manufacture DHA so it has to get it from our diet."

At Sheffield University in England, Dr. Malcolm Peet gave omega-3 fatty acids to 70 depressed patients who had not been helped by drugs such as Prozac. After 12 weeks, 69 percent of the patients showed marked improvement compared with 25 percent given placebos.

Trial Participant Accounts Significant Improvement

Jim LaBonte of Boston took part in another omega-3 study. LaBonte, who was diagnosed with depression four years ago, had tried Prozac but didn't like the way it made him feel. He complained the drug left him with no emotions, and so he stopped taking it. Then he enrolled in a clinical trial at Massachusetts General Hospital.

"I leaned more toward the skeptical. I wanted to say, 'show me,' " LaBonte told ABCNEWS.

LaBonte took the omega-3 fatty acid DHA each day. Within three weeks, he said, he noticed a significant improvement. He has now been taking DHA for eight months.

"I'm fine today. Not only do I not feel as blue, but when they [depressed feelings] do come I am able to handle it," he said.

"We're confident that the results he had were positive," said Mischoulon. "We've also observed similar responses in other people. So it's pretty clear in our minds that these treatments work."

Preliminary studies suggest 1 gram a day of omega-3 fatty acids can be an effective treatment, whether in the form of a nutritional supplement available at most health-food stores or simply by eating fish — especially salmon, sardines or tuna — several times a week.

Researchers say much larger studies are now needed to follow up on the initial success of omega-3 trials, not only against depression but also in treating schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and violent behavior.

Copyright © 2006 ABC News Internet Ventures

Prevention Magazine
Perfect Mood Food: Add another asset to omega-3 fat's resume: bad mood buster
By Gloria McVeigh
August 2006

http://www.prevention.com/article/0,5778,s1-1-65-73-6978-1,00.html

Eating more omega-3 fats may make you less impulsive or depressed--and easier to get along with, say researchers from the University of Pittsburgh. They measured the blood levels of omega-3s (a reliable indicator of consumption) of 106 healthy adults and gave them psychological tests. Those with the highest omega-3 blood levels scored 49 to 58% better on the tests than those with the lowest blood levels.

Although other studies have linked omega-3s to lower depression, this is the first to show possible mood-boosting in healthy people, say the scientists. Experts suggest getting two servings a week of high-omega-3 fish, including sardines, salmon, herring, and mackerel.

Los Angeles Times (via Denver Post)
Fit briefs: EAT SMART, LOOK SMART
August 7, 2006

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_4140831?source=rss

Everybody knows the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish are good for your brain and heart - now it looks like they help your eyes too. A recent study involving 2,335 people, published in the Archives of Ophthalmology, found that those who ate at least one serving of fish a week were 38 percent less likely to develop macular degeneration, the deterioration of the part of the eye that lets people see fine detail. People who ate fish at least three times a week were 75 percent less likely to have advanced macular degeneration.

Medical Research News
Omega-3 fatty acids in the news again
July 31, 2006

Fish is in the news again as some researchers are claiming that the fatty acids which are found in fish, can help people burn off the kilos, while another team say it improves learning and memory in young children.

Australian researchers say that daily doses of fish oil containing Omega-3 fatty acids, when combined with moderate exercise, helped obese people burn off excess weight.

The researchers at the University of South Australia say that the Omega-3 found in fish oil increases the body's fat-burning ability by improving the flow of blood to muscles during exercise.

Researcher Alison Hill says it was a surprise to find that those who took the fish oil doses and exercised lost an average of 2 kg (4.5 lb.) over the three months, especially since they were still eating whatever they wanted.

Sixty eight overweight and obese people were monitored over a three months period; they were divided into four groups; one group took small daily doses of fish oil and another was given sunflower oil with no other alteration to their normal diet.

Both groups undertook moderate exercise programs of a 45-minute walk or run three times a week while another two groups received either fish oil or sunflower oil but did no exercise.

The groups that took sunflower oil, which does not contain Omega-3 fatty acids, and exercised did not lose any weight.

The two groups that did not exercise also lost no weight, the study found.

Meanwhile South African researchers say that primary school children who were given daily doses of fish oil rich in Omega-3, as part of a study, showed improved learning and memory.

Previous research has shown that fish oil, rich in Omega-3 and special polyunsaturated fatty acids, is believed to play a role in the brain development and function of the foetus and young child.

In this recent study scientist Dr. Marius Smuts, from the Nutritional Intervention Research Centre in South Africa, tracked the development of 355 children aged between six and nine.

Half of the children were given two slices of bread covered with 25 grams of spread enriched with fish oil but flavoured with either chicken, curry or tomato sauce.

Dr. Smuts says the children were able to retain information better and were less inclined to take sick days.

The study demonstrated that an Omega-3 fatty acid rich spread not only improved verbal learning, memory and spelling ability among the experimental subjects, but also lessened the number of days the children were absent from school through illness.

Another study in Thailand has also reported Omega-3 supplements taken by primary school students in Thailand reduced the severity and duration of common illnesses.

A six-year study last year by the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago found that Omega-3 fatty acids helped boost brain functioning as well as cut the risk of stroke and also helped protect the brain as people age.

Experts say people should consume at least 400mg of Omega-3 in their food each day, but most don't even get half of this and 20 per cent of the population eat no fish at all.

The research was presented at the Congress of the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids in Cairns, Australia.

[1] According to a 2004 Rand Corporation report.

[2] NIMH. “The Numbers Count: Mental Illness in America,” Science on Our Minds Fact Sheet Series.

[3] www.allaboutdepression.com

[4] Study published in Psychiatric Services, April 2004. Reported in our health news archive: Pill-Popping Pre-Schoolers, Even Toddlers Get the Blues

[5] Harvard University study reported in Harvard Mental Health Newsletter, February 2002.

[6] “National Healthcare Quality Report”, 2003.

[7] Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2003. “National Healthcare Quality Report.” This is a widely quoted statistic, though some experts such as Dr Christopher L Summerville, Executive Director of the Manitoba Schizophrenia Society, member of the Board of Directors of Mood Disorders of Canada, have cited higher figures.

[8] WHO report on mental illness released October 4, 2001. Health news stories: Depression Link to Heart Disease, Hostility, Depression May Boost Heart Disease