Vitamin Supplement May Prolong Onset of Psychosis

Scientists from the University of Melbourne conducted a study to gauge the effects long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have on the onset of schizophrenia and other mental illness.

The researchers found that the omega 3s were able to simultaneously decrease the long-term risk of progression to psychosis and reduce the risk of developing other illnesses, according to the study.

Results from this study were published yesterday in the journal Nature Communications. [1]

The research team, led by Paul Amminger, professor at the Centre for Youth Mental Health at the University of Melbourne, gave omega-3 supplements to 41 patients over the course of 12 weeks.

Amminger’s team used PUFAs in this endeavor because these specific fatty acids “play critical roles in brain development and function, and a lack of these fatty acids has been implicated in a number of mental health conditions over the lifespan, including schizophrenia,” according to the study.

Patients eligible for participating in this study were between the ages of 13 and 25 because young people are typically most at risk for developing schizophrenia and demonstrate at least one of three risk factors for psychosis.

In addition to prolonging the onset of psychosis, the majority of the 41 patients taking the supplements did not display severe functional impairment and no longer demonstrated warning signs for psychosis upon a nearly 7-year follow-up.

Previously, Amminger and his colleagues conducted another study with omega 3s in 2010. They found that a 12-week intervention with omega-3 PUFAs could reduce the risk of progression to a psychotic disorder for a 12-month period versus the placebo.

The Nature study addresses [2] two limitations of the study: the small sample size and the need for further research to discover exactly how PUFA supplementation may improve mental health.

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