Posted by Laurie Beth on December 7, 2005, at 14:49:15 [reposted on December 7, 2005, at 23:20:13 | original URL]
In reply to Fish Oil WORSENING bipolar???, posted by goofeygalpal on December 6, 2005, at 21:57:38
Cribbing from a 2002 Psychobabble post:
'In his book, the Omega-3 connection, Stoll [doctor who did the study showing fish oil helps with bipolar] says:
p. 208 (page numbers for paperback edition)
"Current evidence is pointing toward EPA as the most mood-promoting agent in fish oil, although further research may show that DHA is important as well. However, there is anecdotal data suggesting that too much DHA relative to EPA may cause a worsening of mood. I therefore recommend using a supplement with as high an EPA content as possible. More systematic studies are required to verify these clinical observations. There are supplements available with EPA to DHA ratios of two-to-one all the way up to seven to one."' [end of cribbing]Stoll's wife apparently invented, and they now sell, a fish oil supplement with 7:1 EPA:DHA ratio. I've tried both the 2:1 and the 7:1 ratios (my current diagnosis is unipolar depression, but I have anxiety and irritability), and it hasn't obviously helped me. I continue to take fish oil nevertheless, because I'm a nursing mom. I've experimented a lot with the ratio of long-chain omega-3 to long-chain omega-6 (GLA in evening primrose oil) because when I had my phospholipids tested, they arguably had too much omega-3 in them and omega-3 can suppress synthesis of long-chain omega-6 (and, as I said above, somewhat with the EPA:DHA ratio) because I've sometimes wondered if the fish oil could be making things worse.
poster:Laurie Beth
thread:586342
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20051025/msgs/586753.html