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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2004 >> Research - Hypothalamus and Fish Oils
        
(Message started by: floridian on Aug 6^th, 2004, 7:25pm)

Title: Research - Hypothalamus and Fish Oils
Post by floridian on Aug 6^th, 2004, 7:25pm

This may or may not be relevant to clusterheads. In a lab experiment with rats, several signs of inflammation in the hypothalamus decreased in the group which had fish oil in their diet.

If you eat a fair amount of fish, or eat meat that is grass fed, you may be doing well with regards to omega-3 fats. If you eat little fish and you beef and chicken come from feed lots, you probably get lots of pro-inflammatin omega-6 fats and very little of the anti-inflammatory omega-3.

Quote:

Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2004 Jul;28(4):693-8.

Hypothalamic superoxide dismutase, xanthine oxidase, nitric oxide, and malondialdehyde in rats fed with fish omega-3 fatty acids.

Songur A, Sarsilmaz M, Sogut S, Ozyurt B, Ozyurt H, Zararsiz I, Turkoglu AO.

Department of Anatomy, Afyon Kocatepe University Medical School, Afyon, Turkey.

Phospholipids located in the cellular membrane play a critical role in the fluid-mosaic model of membrane structure and membrane function. Evidence is mounting for the role of abnormal phospholipid metabolism in some neuropsychiatric disorders including schizophrenia. As an important essential fatty acid (EFA), omega-3 (omega-3) fatty acid series are found in large amounts in fish oil. The aim of this experimental study was to assess the changes of some of the oxidant and antioxidant parameters in the hypothalamus of rats fed with omega-3 EFA diet (0.4 g/kg/day) for 30 days. Eight control rats and nine rats fed with omega-3 were decapitated under ether anesthesia, and hypothalamus was removed immediately. Malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) levels as well as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and xanthine oxidase (XO) enzyme activities in the hypothalamus were measured. SOD activity was significantly decreased in omega-3 EFA treated group compared to control group (p<0.014). Tissue MDA and NO levels were also decreased in omega-3 EFA treated group compared to control rats (p<0.0001). Xanthine oxidase activity was found to be increased in omega-3 EFA treated rats when compared to the control group (p<0.0001). Taken together, this preliminary animal study provides strong support for a therapeutic effect of omega-3 EFA in some neuropsychiatric disorders in which reactive oxygen species (ROS) are recently accused to be an important physiopathogenetic factor.

Title: Re: Research - Hypothalamus and Fish Oils
Post by Samantha_Smith on Aug 6^th, 2004, 9:11pm

Geez I wish I had been it that study--I could have been "decapitated under ether anesthesia" and had my "hypothalmus removed immediately." That procedure would have solved A LOT of my problems! LOL! Samantha

Title: Re: Research - Hypothalamus and Fish Oils
Post by Little Deb on Aug 6^th, 2004, 9:41pm

Hhmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...................

Well, that is my diet probably. Let's hear from the fish eaters here....

And what about the vegetarians???

And what about the people who have a fish oil supplement in their diet that still suffer CH????

Title: Re: Research - Hypothalamus and Fish Oils
Post by IndianaJohn on Aug 6^th, 2004, 11:29pm

The amount of .4g/kg/day calculates out for a 240lb person would be 43g of omega-3 fat per DAY! I like fish, but not that much.

Title: Re: Research - Hypothalamus and Fish Oils
Post by floridian on Aug 7^th, 2004, 9:00am

Quote:

The amount of .4g/kg/day calculates out for a 240lb person would be 43g of omega-3 fat per DAY! I like fish, but not that much.

Yes, it would be almost 2 ounces if scaled directly to humans. But rats have a higher metabolism and eat more calories per pound (or kilo) of body weight.

In the experiments with fish oil and psoriasis, the most dramatic effects with fish oil are seen with an IV - it changes the balance of 6:3 fats quickly. Dietary changes take longer. But even moderate doses (1/2 gram to 4 grams per day) have shown beneficial effects in humans for a variety of conditions (heart, arthritis, kidney, etc).

I don't know if the type of inflammation in the hypothalamus that fish oil prevents is relevant to clusters. Just found this research interesting. I don't expect fish oil to be a silver bullet, but it may help some. Also, if heart disease can be prevented, triptans would pose less risk.

Title: Re: Research - Hypothalamus and Fish Oils
Post by IndianaJohn on Aug 7^th, 2004, 12:55pm

1/2 to 4 grams a day? Here fishy, fishy, fishy. Hey, it's worth a shot at least and what could it hurt?

Title: Re: Research - Hypothalamus and Fish Oils
Post by notseinfeld on Aug 9^th, 2004, 9:36pm

Okay---I think it's time we all started considering things that are *not* CH related as the list will be so brief, concise, that we'll at least feel as though we're making some <ahem> headway.

(wow, wasn't that constructive?)

Title: Re: Research - Hypothalamus and Fish Oils
Post by don on Aug 9^th, 2004, 9:58pm

As of yesterday;

Fresh Haddock Fillets $ 6.95 per pound

I'm out. Lucky rats.

Title: Re: Research - Hypothalamus and Fish Oils
Post by UN_SOLVED on Aug 9^th, 2004, 10:01pm

I love seafood. I've eaten lots of fish as I was growing up. I still eat alot of fish and seafood.

The Clusters still come though.

Maybe I should just have "my hypothalmus removed immediately."

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