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Abstract: Acute coronary syndrome patients with depression have low blood cell membrane omega-3 fatty acid levels
posted Friday, 17 October 2008
Psychosom Med. 2008 Oct;70:856-862
Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients With Depression Have Low Blood Cell Membrane Omega-3 Fatty Acid Levels
Amin AA, Menon RA, Reid KJ, Harris WS, Spertus JA.
Department of Cardiology, Mid America Heart Institute, Saint Luke's Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri and University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri; Department of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico; Department of Nutrition and Metabolic Disease, University of South Dakota-Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Objective: To determine the extent to which levels of membrane eicosapentaenoic (EPA)+docosahexaenoic acids (DHA) (the omega-3 index) were associated with depression in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Depression is associated with worse cardiovascular (CV) outcomes in patients with ACS. Reduced levels of blood cell membrane omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids (FAs), an emerging risk factor for both CV disease and depression, may help to explain the link between depression and adverse CV outcomes.
Methods: We measured membrane FA composition in 759 patients with confirmed ACS. The analysis included not only EPA and DHA but also the n-6 FAs linoleic and arachidonic acids (LA and AA). Depressive symptoms were measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ). Multivariable linear regression was used to adjust for demographic and clinical characteristics.
Results: There was a significant inverse relationship between the n-3 index and depressive symptoms (PHQ) in the fully adjusted model (p = .034). For every 4.54% point rise in the n-3 index, there was a 1-point decline in depressive symptoms. In contrast to the n-3 FAs, membrane levels of the n-6 FAs LA and AA were not different between depressed and nondepressed ACS patients.
Conclusion: We found an inverse relationship between the n-3 index and the prevalence of depressive symptoms in patients with ACS. Therefore, this study supports the hypothesis that reduced n-3 FA tissue levels are a common and potentially modifiable link between depression and adverse CV outcomes.
© 2008 American Psychosomatic Society
comments (2)
1. Dan the Omega Man left...
Monday, 20 October 2008 8:07 pm
The brain is made up of a good percentage of omega 3. So it makes sense if
someone's intake of omega 3 is low you may have those types of problems.
Omega 3 is so good for your overall health including depression that
everyone really should try and increase their omega 3 levels. So to
decrease depression andmany other problems increase your omega 3 levels and
decrease your omega 6 levels. To Learn More About Omega 3
-http://www.omega-3-for-your-health.com/salmon-oil.html
2. Anxiety Insights left...
Monday, 20 October 2008 10:12 pm
Dan, if that is your site, may I suggest you reconsider advocating krill
derived Omega-3. Sadly, Antarctic krill are becoming increasingly
contaminated with PCBs and other volatile man made persistent organo
pollutants that condense out of the atmosphere at colder polar regions.
Southern Right and Humpback whales which feed on krill are now heavily
contaminated with these chemicals.
Action-potential
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Affective disorders
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Alleles
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Amygdalae
Two almond-shaped groups of neurons - there is one amygdala (Greek for almond) in each brain hemisphere. They have the primary role in processing and storing memories of emotional reactions.Part of the Limbic System the amygdalae trigger an instant fear reaction to perceived threats, real or imagined.
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Anterior cingulate cortex
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Support cells in the brain and spinal cord which provide physical and nutritional support for neurons, form the blood-brain barrier, clear dead cells and other debris, insulate neurons and, as part of the immune system, protect the brain from microorganisms.Long thought not to conduct electrical impulses as the neurons do, there is growing evidence that they do modulate neurotransmission.
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Brain structure of the 'old' mammalian brain comprising the hippocampus, amygdalae, anterior thalamic nuclei, and the diencephalon in the forebrain. Regulates memory, and the emotions including fear, anger, and of sexual behavior.- Click page link for more information -
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Mindfulness meditation/ psychotherapy
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Narrative Exposure Therapy
Therapy developed to treat PTSD. Based on cognitive behavioral exposure therapy, it adapts classical exposure therapy to meet needs of traumatized survivors of war and torture.Survivors are asked to describe what happened to them in great detail, focusing on what they saw, heard, smelt, etc, and their feelings and thoughts at the time. Initially, sessions are distressing, but as they are long enough to allow habituation, distress levels diminish towards the end and more and more details are recalled.
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Neurogenesis
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One of about 100 peptides including endorphins, enkephalins, oxytocin and vasopressin which mediate brain function by regulating gene expression, local blood flow and synaptogenesis. The neuropeptides Cholecystokinin, Substance P and Neuropeptide Y have been linked to anxiety and depressive disorders.- Click page link for more information -
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The brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections.- Click page link for more information -
Nucleus accumbens
Twin brain structures (one in each hemisphere) involved in reward, laughter, pleasure, addiction, fear, and the placebo effect.- Click page link for more information -
Polymorphism
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Tests a specific question, usually about how a specific exposure(s) affects a specific outcome(s) by recruiting appropriate participants and checks the outcomes over the following months or years.Psychodynamic psychotherapy
Talking therapy used to help a person find relief from emotional pain. It is based on the theories and techniques of Freudian/Jung style psychoanalysis. However, practitioners don't necessarily accept the 'classical' psychoanalysis theory that emotional conflicts are primarily sexual in nature.Receptor
Short-lived protein molecules embedded in the cell wall of neurons, especially of their synapses, to which neurotransmitters attach to initiate an action. Also called ´binding sites´- Click page link for more information -
Receptor agonist
A chemical which is able to bind to receptors of a neurotransmitter and trigger the same biological response as that neurotransmitter.Receptor antagonist
A drug that is so similar chemically to a neurotransmitter that it is capable of binding to a receptor for the neurotransmitter but which does not trigger the biological response of that neurotransmitter. By blocking its receptors the antagonist disrupts or inhibits the action of the neurotransmitter.Retrospective study
Research using data on exposures and/or outcomes that have already been collected through medical records or as part of another study. Such data may not be as reliable as data collected prospectively, as it relies on the accuracy of records made at the time, and on people’s recall of past events, which can be inaccurate (referred to as recall bias).Safety behavior
Behavior undertaken to reduce anxious thoughts, or to keep yourself 'safe' from imagined threats, or to hide your anxious state from others. Examples include constant monitoring of breathing or heart rate, shopping during quiet retail hours, taking precautionary tranquillizers "just in case," taking circuitous routes to avoid highways or bridges when driving, sitting close to exits, avoiding eye contact, playing with keys to hide trembling hands.Seasonal affective disorder
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Serotonin transporter
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Manifests as chronic, persistent complaints of varied physical symptoms that have no identifiable organic origin or basis. Often co morbid with other psychological disorders, particularly anxiety or mood disorders, plus irritable bowel syndrome and chronic pain. Occurs in 0.2% to 2% of females and 0.2% of males. Also known as Briquet's disorder.Sympathetic nervous system
The part of the nervous system which controls the body’s internal, involuntary processes including breathing, digestion, blood vessel tone, heart rate, etc. It also mediates the fight-or-flight response.Subgenual cingulate
Brain region high in serotonin transporter-binding sites, with strong projections to the hypothalamus and brain stem. Modulates autonomic/neuroendocrine responses and neurotransmitter transmission during the neural processing of reward, fear, and stress. May be critical for modulating widespread behavioral changes mediated by the cortex. Volume is often decreased in mood disorders patients.Also known as Brodmann area 25.
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Synapses
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Thalamus
Regulates sleep and awake states, arousal and awareness. Processes and relays sensory information to the cerebral cortex where they are experienced as sensations of pain, touch, or temperature. Damage to the thalamus can produce permanent coma.- Click page link for more information -
Tumor necrosis factor-α
A cytokine which has wide range of pro inflammatory actions and induce necrosis (death) of tumor cells. Exacerbates chronic inflammatory autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.Blood plasma levels are raised in patients with depression. Research had shown that antidepressants reduce its expression.
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White matter
Regions of the brain and spinal cord largely composed of nerve fibers (axons) sheathed in insulating myelin composed of lipids (fats) which give them their color.White matter abnormalities (hyperintensities):
Damage to the myelin insulation. May be inherited, the result of disease (Multiple Sclerosis) or physical injury, stroke etc. Most brains accumulate some WM abnormalities with age.
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