Omega-3s For Brain Health: 6 Reasons Why They Matter

The brain is made up of more than 60% fat, and the type of fats that we consume has a direct impact on how well it functions.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids are one type of fat that can help to improve brain health. In this blog post, we will discuss 6 reasons why your brain needs Omega 3s!

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What are Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for brain function.

They are often touted as a powerful nutrient to improve the cardiovascular system. Unfortunately, few know about their importance for brain health.

Reason # One: Omega 3 fatty acids help to protect the brain from damage.

Omega-fats play a crucial role in protecting the brain from damage. They keep brain cells healthy and less prone to cell degeneration¹ and help to reduce inflammation and prevent cell damage.²

Omega-fats reduce the risk of developing numerous types of brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and age-related cognitive decline..³

They also help people with age-related cognitive decline to improve their memory.⁴

Reason # Two: Omega 3 fatty acids help to improve the function of the brain synapses and prevent cell damage.

Omega-fats can improve memory by helping to support synaptic transmission within neurons.⁵

They also help to keep the cells of the brain healthy and functioning properly.⁶

Another function of omega-3 fatty acids in the brain is to promote neurogenesis and neuronal survival.

Neuronal survival is vital since it determines the number of neurons that work instead of the immature neurons from neurogenesis, whose information transmission is limited.⁷

Reason #3: Omega 3 fatty acids improve blood flow to the brain.

Omega 3 fatty acids play an important role in keeping your brain healthy by improving blood flow.

Studies have shown higher cerebral blood circulation may improve cognitive performance. Having adequate circulation helps to maintain memory, and reduces the risk if one develops dementia in a patient.⁸

Reason #4: Omega 3 fatty acids improve mental performance and reduce stress.

Omega 3s are important for the production of hormones that play an essential role in keeping you calm.⁹

They also help to improve mental performance by improving attention.¹⁰

By helping to improve mental performance you will be able to focus more easily – which is important when studying for exams! By keeping your brain healthy with omega- fats you can keep it functioning at its best throughout the years!

Reason #5: Omega-3 fatty acids help make neurons work correctly.

The primary function of omega 3s for the brain is to regulate the transmission of information from neuron to neuron so the body can react accordingly.¹¹

Reason #6: Omega-3’s in the brain strongly influence gene expression

These essential fatty acids are responsible for regulating the transcription and translation factors within the cell’s nucleus by acting as an on/off switch.¹²

Essentially, these are commands sent out by the brain to the DNA to manufacture proteins for the body’s needs.¹³

Putting it All Together

Omega-3 and Treating Mental Health Conditions

Because of these amazing benefits and flexibility of Omega 3s, it has been used by professionals to treat mild cognitive impairment, slow cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, depressive symptoms

Adequate levels of these PUFAs, either in the diet or added as a supplement, help prevent or manage mental health issues such as depression, bipolar syndrome, trauma psychotic conditions, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Depression

The connection between low omega 3 and depression is well documented.

It’s been shown that most people dealing with a major depressive disorder are also deficient in omega 3 fatty acids.¹⁴

Many health professionals promote omega-3 fatty acids in the diet or through supplementation to manage depressive disorders. It is generally safe for adjunctive therapy.

While many studies show inconclusive results for omega 3’s use as an antidepressant monotherapy, it certainly shows promise as part of a comprehensive plan to address depressive symptoms and even in isolation.¹⁵

For example, omega 3 supplementation has demonstrated effectiveness in treating postpartum depression in new mothers.¹⁶

This is important since children of omega-3 deficient mothers also demonstrate depressive symptoms.¹⁷

Anxiety

There is compelling evidence that omega-3 can affect the severity of anxiety symptoms.¹⁸

Omega 3 supplementation has been shown to alleviate symptoms of anxiety and social anxiety.¹⁹

Studies on humans confirmed the positive effects of elevated levels of omega-3 in both of the subjects’ anxiety symptoms.²⁰

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is another form of depressive illness. Its symptoms include energy and mood levels at extremes.

Early detection and management is the key since the condition may eventually progress to manic-depressive psychosis or even suicide.²¹

Detecting trait markers early on is one way to manage it. One trait marker is low levels of omega-3 fatty acids common in both unipolar and bipolar patients and their first-degree relatives.²²²³

There is conclusive evidence that depressive symptoms in bipolar disorder can improve with omega-3 as adjunctive therapy.²⁴

However, there is not enough evidence that it can lessen mania symptoms.²⁵²⁶

Schizophrenia

A low concentration of omega-3 fatty acids in the brain increases the chances of depression and schizophrenia, as proven in clinical trials.²⁷

Dopamine works as a neurotransmitter. When the signaling system is damaged, it can result in various problems, foremost of depression and other psychiatric disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, and ADHD.²⁸

Evidence shows that PUFAs are essential to maintain brain health since fat composes about 60% of the brain’s makeup²⁹, and they are crucial components of the brain’s neuronal membranes.³⁰

The brain does not synthesize PUFAs, so diet and supplementation play a huge role to maintain the right amounts of PUFAs.³¹

Trauma/PTSD

Omega-3 fatty acids also function for neuroprotection by stimulating the brain’s neurotrophic factor to promote neural growth and development.³²³³

By increasing antioxidant enzymes and releasing their anti-inflammatory functions, omega-3 slows down damage and helps improve overall brain motor function.

Clinical studies demonstrate omega-3 fatty acid administration remarkably improves brain function and memory in those who have PTSD.³⁴

However, earlier clinical trials on PTSD had different results, especially controlling depression, anger, and hostility.³⁵