Omega-3s May Decrease Irritability 33498

Omega-3s May Decrease Irritability

KANSAS CITY, Mo.Omega-3essential fatty acids (EFAs) may help reduce irritability in patients withbipolar disorder, according to a study published Feb. 9, 2005 in NutritionJournal, a peer-reviewed, online medical journal(www.nutritionj.com).

In a continuation study of an open-ended omega-3 EFA add-onstudy, 37 patients (the original 19 patients, plus 18 new patients) who werediagnosed with bipolar disorder and regularly visited a mood disorder clinicwere administered low-dose (1 g/d to 2 g/d) omega-3 EFAs and assessed forfrequency and severity of irritability. Frequency was measured by percentage ofdays in which subjects experienced irritability, while severity of irritability,if present, was rated on a scale of 1 to 4.

Based upon the results of the trial, the researchers concludedomega-3 EFA intake helped reduce irritability in bipolar disorder patients witha significant presenting sign of irritability, and noted omega-3 EFAs may alsohelp alleviate the irritability component of different clinical conditionsincluding schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder and other psychiatricconditions with a common presenting sign of irritability.