KALAÖLJYT SUOJELEVAT AIVOJA

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Lähettäjä: Soijuv Lähetetty: 12.9.2005 8:22

Kalaöljyjen aivoja suojelevasta vaikutuksesta on nyt saatu tieteellistä näyttöä. Suositeltava päiväannos on 200 - 300 mg:


Scientists Discover How Fish Oil Protects the Brain

By Karen Pallarito
HealthDay ReporterFri Sep 9,11:47 PM ET

FRIDAY, Sept. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Louisiana State University scientists say they have discovered how the fatty acids found in fish oil help protect the human brain from the type of cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Their study shows that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid found in coldwater fish such as mackerel, sardines and salmon, reduces levels of a protein known to cause damaging plaques in the brains of Alzheimer's patients.

What's more, the researchers discovered that a derivative of DHA, which they dubbed "neuroprotectin D1" (NPD1), is made in the human brain. That natural substance plays a key role, too, in protecting the brain from cell death, the study showed.

"Now what does this tell us from the point of view of the disease? I believe that, obviously, diet is a major issue here," said Dr. Nicolas G. Bazan, director of the Neuroscience Center of Excellence at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans.

"DHA is an essential building block for the structure of brain cells," he noted. "And now we are finding that this building block also makes a 'golden brick' (NPD1) that helps the life of the neurons to continue."

Greg M. Cole, associate director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at the University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, said the study "provides strong evidence" that NPD1 offers "several important protective contributions."

The study was released online Sept. 8, in advance of its Oct. 1 publication in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Bazan, who is currently staying in Philadelphia, had been in Poland to give the opening lecture at a meeting on neurodegenerative diseases when Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans. So far, he said, he has re-established contact with about half of the roughly 115 people who work at the LSU neuroscience center.

Due to the state of emergency in New Orleans, the center won't resume work until perhaps late November or early December, interrupting what Bazan calls the most exciting period in his scientific career.

Indeed, while previous studies have suggested that DHA reduces the risk of Alzheimer's-related cognitive deficits, scientists haven't explored how the fatty acid may work its protective magic.

Some 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease, according to the Alzheimer's Association. If no cure is found, as many as 16 million could have the disease by 2050, as the population ages.

Bazan and colleagues at LSU and Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston conducted a series of experiments. Some of the testing involved postmortem human brain samples harvested from six patients who had Alzheimer's disease and an equal number of age-matched "control" samples from people who did not have the disease.

The researchers also used technology called tandem mass spectrometry to analyze changes within brain cells.

Studies show DHA is highly concentrated in the brain and retina of the eye. In earlier research, Bazan's team discovered that NPD1 is produced in cells that are critical for vision. They wondered whether the brain might do the same.

"And the human brain, sure enough, makes neuroprotectin D1," Bazan found.

Cole, the UCLA researcher, noted: "This study also shows that both DHA and its NPD1 product are effective in treating human brain cells and reducing the inflammation and toxicity from a toxin called beta amyloid that is widely believed to cause Alzheimer's."

The researchers also examined specific areas of the brains of people with Alzheimer's, including an area critical to memory formation and cognition. "And that area shows huge -- I mean 20-, 25-fold -- decreases in neuroprotectin D1, as compared with other areas in the same human brain," Bazan said.

Furthermore, in cell studies designed to mimic the effects of aging, the team found that adding DHA reduced the secretion of toxic beta amyloid proteins and, at the same time, spurred production of NPD1.

"We are concluding that neuroprotectin D1 induces a gene expression program that is neuroprotective, meaning that it promotes survival of brain cells," Bazan said. And that discovery, he added, could one day lead to the development of a new treatment to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

For now, though, people should pursue a nutritional approach to warding off Alzheimer's and diminishing the effects of the disease.
Since DHA sources are safe, cheap, available and clinically proven to fight heart disease, the nation's number one killer, Cole said he would advise families of Alzheimer's patients to make sure their loved ones get the minimum recommended DHA from their diet or supplements. Experts recommend 200 to 300 milligrams per day, a far greater amount than the 60 to 80 milligrams daily that Americans typically get in their diet, he noted.

More information

Learn more about Alzheimer's disease by visiting the National Institute on Aging's Alzheimer's Disease Education & Referral Center.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&c ... tsthebrain

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Lähettäjä: Soijuv Lähetetty: 12.9.2005 15:48

Brittiläinen tapausselostus; 25-vuotias nainen oli
kärsinyt kroonisesta väsymyksestä,
lihaskivuista, uniongelmista, masennuksesta jne.
kuuden vuoden ajan. Oireet alkoivat
19-vuotiaana virusinfektion jälkeen. Nainen ei kyennyt
liikkumaan ilman pyörätuolia. Hänellä todettiin
muutoksia aivoissa magneettikuvauksessa.

Hänelle aloitettiin EPA - rasvahappohoito (930mg).

16 viikon hoitojakson jälkeen nainen kykeni kävelemään
magneettikuvauspöydälle. Hänen oireensa olivat
selkeästi vähentyneet ja aivojen magneettikuvauksessa
muutokset olivat parantuneet selvästi:


International Journal of Clinical Practice
Vol. 58, #3, 297-299
Date: March 2004
URL: http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/servle ... &code=ijcp

Eicosapentaenoic acid-rich essential fatty acid supplementation in
chronic fatigue syndrome associated with symptom remission and
structural brain changes
------------------------------------------------------------------
B.K. Puri, J. Holmes, G. Hamilton
MRI Unit, Imaging Sciences Department, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre,
Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK
Correspondence to:
B.K. Puri, PhD, MRCPsych, MRI Unit, MRC Clinical Sciences
Centre, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith
Hospital, Du Cane Road, London W12 0HS, UK

SUMMARY
Lateral ventricular enlargement has been reported in chronic fatigue
syndrome, while cerebral neurospectroscopy has recently indicated that
essential fatty acid treatment may be of value in this condition. An
essential fatty acid supplement rich in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) was
therefore given daily to a female patient with a 6-year history of
unremitting symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome. Cerebral magnetic
resonance scanning was carried out at baseline and 16 weeks later. The
EPA-rich essential fatty acid supplementation led to a marked clinical
improvement in her symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, starting within
6-8 weeks. Accurate quantification of the lateral ventricular volumes
in the baseline and 16-week follow-up registered images of
high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging structural scans showed that
the treatment was accompanied by a marked reduction in the lateral
ventricular volume during this period, from 28940-23660 mm^3.

INTRODUCTION
Chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME),
is characterised by the feeling of fatigue, musculoskeletal pain and
many neuropsychiatric symptoms (1). Several magnetic resonance imaging
(MRI) studies have shown that chronic fatigue syndrome is associated
with lateral ventricular enlargement (2). Furthermore, two recent proton
neurospectroscopy studies have found that chronic fatigue syndrome is
associated with an increase in the level of cerebral choline-containing
compounds (3,4). These results suggest that there may be an abnormality
of phospholipid metabolism in the brain in this condition which might
respond to an intervention using n-3 essential fatty acids (3-6). We
therefore carried out a detailed single-case study of a patient using
serial high-resolution structural magnetic resonance neuroimaging. It is
possible to obtain very accurate, positionally matched, serially
acquired magnetic resonance images of the brain using a subvoxel image
registration and segmentation program (7). The accuracy of the alignment
of images has been shown to be to a fraction of a voxel, typically <
0.01 mm in each linear dimension (8 ). Lateral ventricular changes
detected using such a monomodal registration technique can be quantified
accurately (9,10). These techniques were applied to the neuro-imaging
data obtained from the patient.

METHODS
Subject
The subject was a 25-year-old white Caucasian female who had suffered
from medically confirmed chronic fatigue syndrome for 6 years,
following a viral infection at the age of 19 years. She was suffering
from chronic fatigue, intense lassitude, poor sleep with marked initial
insomnia, low mood and muscle pain. She was almost totally confined to a
wheelchair during her waking hours, needing assistance to reach
destinations inaccessible to the wheelchair. The wheelchair itself had
to be pushed by others; the patient lacked the energy to move the
wheelchair by herself.

Essential Fatty Acid Supplementation
Following the baseline investigations, the patient was asked to take the
high eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) essential fatty acid supplement eye q
TM (Equazen Ltd, London, UK) at a total dose of 10 capsules daily, taken
as five capsules twice daily. This provided the following daily
essential fatty acid doses: 930 mg of EPA; 290 mg of docosahexaenoic
acid; and 100 mg of gamma-linolenic acid. In addition, the preparation
also supplied 16 mg vitamin E daily.

Clinical Ratings
Clinical ratings of the patient's symptoms of depression were evaluated
at baseline and at 16-week follow-up using the Montgomery and Asberg
Depression Rating Scale (11).

MRI Scans
Sagittal three-dimensional T1 -weighted rf-spoiled images (TR=30 ms,
TE=3 ms, flip angle=30 deg., 156x256x114 image matrix, 1.6 mm section
thickness, 25 cm field of view) were acquired on a 1.5 Tesla Picker
Eclipse scanner (Marconi Medical Systems, Cleveland, OH, USA) at
baseline and 16-week follow-up.

The volume scans were accurately registered, following segmentation of
the brain, and the baseline and registered follow-up images were then
reformatted into the transverse plane with isotropic voxels of size
0.977^3 mm^3. The volumes of the lateral ventricles were accurately
determined from these transverse baseline and follow-up images.

RESULTS
Clinical Findings
Both the patient and her mother reported that her chronic fatigue began
to go into remission, for the first time in over 6 years, between 6 and 8
weeks after commencing the supplementation. By 16 weeks, she reported
being more motivated, having a brighter mood and sleeping much better.

Whereas assistance had been required at baseline, at the time of the 16-week
follow-up scan, the patient was observed to leave her wheelchair and walk over
20 yards unaided (to an MRI scanner); she confirmed that she had indeed
noticed that she was able to walk better. She reported that her depressed
mood had lifted after taking the supplementation, and this was confirmed
by the change in the ratings. At baseline, the
patient's score on the Montgomery and A ° sberg Depression Rating Scale
was 27. After supplementation for 16 weeks, the score had fallen to
three. She had not noticed any change in her muscle pain, and she had
not suffered any adverse side effects from the daily essential fatty
acid supplementation.

MRI Scans
The lateral ventricular volume at baseline was found to be 28,938 mm^3.
At 16-week follow-up, this had decreased to 23,662 mm^3.

DISCUSSION
Supplementation with a high EPA-containing essential fatty acid
preparation was associated with the first remission for the patient of
symptoms and signs of chronic fatigue syndrome in over 6 years. The
patient has chosen to continue with this supplementation and, to date,
no adverse side effects have been observed.

The relatively large reduction in lateral ventricular size is likely to
be causally linked to the essential fatty acid supplementation, because
phospholipids are important in the formation and remodelling of
dendrites and synapses (12,13).

Although a spontaneous remission or a placebo response cannot be ruled
out, in view of these findings and the protracted nature of the
patient's illness, and the fact that her illness had not previously gone
into remission, it seems likely that the dramatic improvement was
associated with the essential fatty acid supplementation. Moreover,
these findings are consistent with the cerebral proton neurospectroscopy
findings mentioned earlier and with the fact that essential fatty acids
have direct antiviral actions (14). A randomised doubleblind,
placebo-controlled trial of essential fatty acid supplementation that
incorporates magnetic resonance scanning is indicated.

REFERENCES
1 Fukuda K, Strauss SE, Hickie I et al. The chronic fatigue syndrome: a
comprehensive approach to its definition and study. Ann Intern Med
1995; 123: 74-6.
2 Lange G, Holodny AI, DeLuca J et al. Quantitative assessment of
cerebral ventricular volumes in chronic fatigue syndrome. Appl
Neuropsychol 2001; 8: 23-30.
3 Puri BK, Counsell SJ, Zaman et al. Relative increase in choline
in the occipital cortex in chronic fatigue syndrome. Acta Psychiatr
Scand 2002; 106: 224-6.
4 Chaudhuri A, Condon BR, Gow JW, Brennan D, Hadley DM. Proton magnetic
resonance spectroscopy of basal ganglia in chronic fatigue syndrome.
Neuroreport 2003; 14: 225-8.
5 Horrobin DF. Fatty acids, phospholipids and schizophrenia. In: Yehuda
S, Mostofsky DI, eds. Handbook of EFA Biology: Biochemistry,
Physiology and Behavioral Neurobiology. Totawa, NJ: Hummana Press 1997:
245-56.
6 Puri BK. Assessment of cerebral structure and function in neuro-
developmental disorders using structural magnetic resonance imaging,
monomodal registration, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids (in press).
7 Bydder GM. Detection of small changes to the brain with serial magnetic
resonance imaging. Br J Radiol 1995; 68: 1271-95.
8 Hajnal JV, Saeed N, Soar EJ, Oatridge A, Young IR, Bydder GM. A
registration and interpolation procedure for subvoxel matching of
serially acquired MR images. J Comput Assist Tomogr 1995; 19: 289-96.
9 Saeed N, Puri BK, Oatridge A, Hajnal JV, Young IR. Two methods for
semi-automated quantification of changes in ventricular volume and
their use in schizophrenia. Magn Reson Med 1998; 16: 1237-47.
10 Puri BK. Serial Neuroimaging in Schizophrenia Using Image Segmentation,
Subvoxel Registration, and Quantitation. Ph D Thesis. London: University
of London, 2001.
11 Montgomery SA, A ° sberg M. A new depression scale designed to be
sensitive to change. Br J Psychiatry 1979; 134: 382-9.
12 Horrobin DF, Glen AIM, Vaddadi K. The membrane hypothesis of
schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 1994; 13: 195-207.
13 Horrobin DF. The membrane phospholipid hypothesis as a biochemical
basis for the neurodevelopmental concept of schizophrenia. Schizophr
Res 1998; 30: 193-208.
14 Horrobin DF. Essential fatty acids and the post-viral fatigue syndrome.
In: Jenkins R, Mowbray, eds. Post-Viral Fatigue Syndrome. Chichester:
John Wiley, 1991: 393-404.

Paper received August 2003, accepted September 2003
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(c) 2004 Blackwell Publishing Ltd