Omega-3 Connection Review

Why are psychiatric disorders like depression and attention-deficit disorder rising so rapidly? Many people blame the stress of early 21st century life or distractability born of too much TV. But Dr. Andrew Stoll says the cause — and the cure — may lie in our diet.

Stoll is director of the Pharmacology Research Lab at Harvard's McLean Psychiatric Hospital; it's his job to find the right pills for patients. In his search for effective treatments for bipolar (manic-depressive) disorder Stoll grew frustrated with the unacceptable side effects of many widely used drugs. So he analyzed the properties of drugs that worked, then looked for less toxic compounds with the same properties. To his surprise, omega-3 fatty acids (common fish oil) fit the bill.

The Omega 3 Connection is Stoll's story of his ensuing research and that of others. Yet even Stoll cautions that this work is very recent and preliminary:

Who is to say that this is not just another supplement flavor of the month, another bogus claim in the continual stream of magic elixirs and miracle cures? Who is to say that fish oil is not really snake oil?... The case we present you is not solid. Many more studies are needed. But serious scientists at many prestiigious institutions... are impressed enought to be dedicating themselves to the study of the omega-3 fatty acids.

The story to date is compelling, however. The brain is 60% fat, and it's logical to believe that its function depends immensely on the kinds of fats in our diets. Fats are also crucial components of all cell membranes throughout the body. Historically, our bodies are believed to have evolved with roughly equal amounts of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, small amounts of saturated fats and no artifically-manufactured trans-fats. In the last century, rapid dietary change has outstripped the speed at which our bodies can evolve and adapt. Today, fats in the typical western diet include up to 20 times more omega-6s than omega-3s, with hefty quantities of sat fats and trans-fats.

Both omega-6s and omega-3s are known as essential fatty acids (EFAs), because they're necessary to health. But they have yin-yang effects on the body. Omega-6s cause inflammation, the body's first line of defense in healing, while omega-3s quell inflamation. Omega-6s cause blood to clot, while omega-3s help blood run smoothly. When these two EFAs are in balance, wounds scab over quickly but arteries don't clog, and our immune system heals us but doesn't over-react with allergies or arthritis. When the two EFAs are vastly out of balance, not only the function of our brains but also almost every system of the body can get out of whack.

The solution, according to Stoll and many others, is to supplement our diets with fish oils. If you're not scientifically-minded, you may want to skip the book and run out now to buy a pound of salmon or a bottle of fish-oil capsules. That's because The Omega-3 Connection is not a casual read. Although Stoll is a good writer, he's a researcher first, and the book goes deeply into biochemical details that require concentration and an alert mind to digest. That's not a negative: I appreciate Stoll's scholarship, but I want you to know it goes beyond what's found in most popular books.

Stoll starts with three chapters that lay the historic and nutritional context for his case. These chapters discuss EFAs' role not only in brain function, but even how they may be affecting obesity and insulin resistance. Then he continues with seven theme-specific chapters discussing the role of omega-3s in pregnancy and post-partum depression, major depression, bipolar disorder, stress and violence, attention-deficit disorder, schizophrenia, and memory/cognition. Each chapter defines the accepted diagnostic criteria for its disorder, explains any key brain processes involved, and details why omega-3s may help.

Many of Stoll's observations and hypotheses are fascinating. It makes sense, for instance, that postpartum depression could result when a mother's brain is depleted of omega-3s by the development needs of the baby's brain. We also learn that there's an uncanny epidemiological correlation between the amount of fish in a country's diet and both its rate of depression and its rate of heart disease. Stoll even describes interesting research on stress and hostility—could road rage be eliminated if we all ate mackerel instead of Mars Bars?

The final chapters of the book review alternative non-pharmaceutical treatments for depression (such as St. John's Wort and SamE), give Stoll's own recommendation for omega-3 supplementation, and even include recipes for incorporating more omega-3s into your everyday diet. In general, Stoll recommends supplements—and a doctor's guidance— for anyone trying to treat a psychiatric disorder; you would have to eat huge amounts of fish otherwise, risking both dietary ennui and mercury poisoning.

So should you read The Omega-3 Connection? You owe it to yourself to understand as much as possible about these essential fats, but this is not the only current book on the subject. Omega-3s are hot—even fad-diet guru Barry Sears has jumped on the bandwagon with his Omega Rx Zone (not recommended). We recommend The Omega-3 Connection for educators and health-professionals especially, because of its authoritative research on psychiatric and behavioral issues. Families seeking natural solutions to such problems should also read this book. If you want a more general-health read with more recipes (also from a respected researcher in fatty acids), Artemis Simopoulis' The Omega Diet: The Lifesaving Nutritional Program based on the Diet of the Island of Crete may be another good choice. GoodFoodBooks hopes to review The Omega Diet soon, and compare the two in more detail.

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Review © 2002 Cynthia Harriman.
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