1/23/2006- Supplements of omega-3 fatty acids may mitigate aggressive behavior in substance abusers, suggest researchers.
A small, double-blind study found that those who took 3g of fish oil per day had lower levels of anger, potentially reducing tendency towards aggressive behavior.
The trial, conducted at the Veterans Administration New York Harbor Healthcare System in Brooklyn, involved 24 people with a history of substance abuse who were participants in an outpatient treatment program.
Some of them had exhibited aggressive behaviors.
The adult male subjects were randomly assigned to two groups: one receiving 3 grams (five capsules) per day of purified fish oil containing 2250mg of EPA, 500mg of DHA and 250mg of other omega-3 EFAs. The other group received a placebo.
To assess changes in anger level, a modified version of the Profiles of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire was administered at baseline and every month thereafter for a period of three months.
The 13 patients who received the fish oil showed a clinically significant and progressive decrease in their POMS anger subscale scores.
No change was observed in the 11 patients in the placebo group.
In addition, a subset of patients was followed for an additional three-month period, without supplements: in those previously treated, POMS anger scores progressively increased but did not return to baseline.
Again, the placebo group showed no observable change in scores.
Emerging evidence suggests that low levels of omega-3 EFAs, especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), play a role in the pathophysiology of anger as well as depressive, suicidal, and aggressive behaviors.
Lead investigator Laure Buydens presented her findings at the 44th annual American College of Neuropsychopharmacology meeting in December, 2005. An abstract reporting the results, 'N-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Decrease Feelings of Anger in a Population of Substance Abusers', was published in Neuropsychopharmacology.
DHA levels linked to suicide and violence...
BETHESDA, MARYLAND. Several studies have found a link between low cholesterol levels and an increased tendency to violence, suicide, and depression. Scientists at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism believe that the real culprit in this association is low concentrations of 5- hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in the cerebrospinal fluid and that it is the blood level of polyunsaturated fatty acids rather than the levels of cholesterol which affect 5-HIAA levels. 5-HIAA is a metabolite of serotonin.
To test this hypothesis the researchers measured the levels of cerebrospinal 5-HIAA and the levels of blood plasma polyunsaturated fatty acids in a group of 176 subjects. Forty-nine of the subjects were healthy volunteers, 88 were early-onset alcoholics (excessive alcohol use prior to their 25th birthday), and 39 were late-onset alcoholics. None of the alcoholics had been drinking for at least 21 days prior to the test. The researchers found a strong positive correlation between blood levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and the level of 5-HIAA in the healthy volunteers. In other words, the higher the DHA levels the higher the 5-HIAA levels and as a corollary, the lower the tendency to depression, violence and suicide. In the early-onset alcoholics the situation was completely reversed. Higher DHA levels corresponded to lower 5-HIAA levels and thus a possibly increased tendency to violence, suicide and depression. The researchers found no correlation between 5-HIAA levels and total cholesterol levels. They conclude that further studies are required to determine if supplementation with essential fatty acids, notably DHA, can influence central nervous system serotonin and dopamine metabolism and modify impulsive behaviour related to these neurotransmitters.Hibbeln, Joseph R., et al. Essential fatty acids predict metabolites of serotonin and dopamine in cerebrospinal fluid among healthy control subjects, and early- and late-onset alcoholics. Biological Psychiatry, Vol. 44, 1998, pp. 235-42
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