Central Nervous System

Ω Krill oil helps combat various psychological disorders, such as:

ADHD, Agression, Alzheimer’s disease, Bipolar disorder, Dementia, Depression, Dyslexia, Epilepsy, Huntington’s disease, Learning disabilities, Memory/Cognition, Parkinson’s disease, Schizophrenia, Stroke, sleep apnea.

School children now face increasing pressure to succeed. This elevated stress can lead to burn-out and depression at a young age.There is evidence that the omega-3 fatty acid DHA helps with stress.This may work by regulating and reducing certain bodily stress mediators such as hormones and pro-infammatory molecules. A series of clinical trials have demonstrated the ability to prevent stress incuced aggression and hostility.

After supplementation for 6 weeks with omega-3 fatty acids, perceived stress was significantly reduced in comparison to the placebo group. This study shows that omega-3 fatty acids have a protective role in stress,suggesting that increased intake of omega-3 fatty acids helps us handle daily stress better.

Children need omega-3 fatty acids to develop optimal learning ability, intelligence and to keep focus and concentration.
An imbalance in the omega-3 spectrum was discovered in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Not only have omega-3 fatty acids anti-inflammatory properties, they can also alter central nervous system cell membrane composition and fluidity.
Cell membrane fluidity can influence neurotransmission in children’s brains. Milte and colleagues investigated the associations between omega-3 and omega-6 levels in red blood cells and learning and behavour in 75 children aged 7-12 with ADHD.
They found that a higher omega-3 index predicted lower anxiety/shyness and better word reading.
They also found that a higher content of the “bad” omega-6 fatty acids in red blood cells of these children was associated with poorer reading abilities, lesser vocabulary and memory, lower spelling ability and less attention. 36% of the children with learning difficulties had lower DHA in the red blood cells than those without learning difficulties.

This study from Milte was the first to compare the omega-3 index in children with ADHD with and without learning difficulties, and supports the idea to increase omega-3 fatty acid intake in ADHD children.
A recent meta-analysis was performed including trials with omega-3 supplementation in children with ADHD.

In total 10 clinical trials involving 699 children with omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in children with ADHD were included and demonstrated a small, but significant effect in improving ADHD symptoms. The size of the dosenof EPA given was significantly correlated with the efficacy of the treatment.
Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation, particularly with higher doses of EPA, can be effective in the treatment of ADHD.

Dietary intake of caffeine, elevated amounts of phosphates, high carb diets, and other nutritional factors have an impact on stimulating and over stimulating brain metabolism which can lead to increased aggression.
As a consequence we find not only increased stress in the brain leading to a higher aggressive potential, but also an increased neuronal burnout leading to fatigue and depression.
Fatty acids also play an important role in the brain metabolism and can influence mood and aggression.

Hibbeln and others have been investigating what the mechanisms of a causal relationship between diet and aggression might be.
Communication between nerve cells depends on neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine, docking with receptors in the nerve cell membrane.

Omega-3 fatty acids are very long and highly flexible. When they are incorporated into nerve cell membranes, membranes become more elastic and fluid so that signals pass through them efficiently. But if the wrong fatty acids are incorporated into membranes, the neurotransmitter signals can’t dock properly.
Early developmental deficiences in DHA and EPA may lower neurotransmitter levels at critical periods of neurodevelopment and may result in a cascade of suboptimal development of neurotransmitter systems.

Residual developmental deficits may manifest themselves as disturbed responses to stress, including decreased heart rate variability and high blood pressure.
These in turn have been linked to behavioral troubles.Help may come from supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids during early development and adulthood which shows considerably promise in preventing aggression and hostility.

The brain consists of 60% fat by dry weight and essential fatty acids for 20% in the membrane of nerve cells.
The synapses or junctions where nerve cells connect with each other, contain even higher essential fatty acid concentrations, with up to 60% of DHA.

DHA and EPA are especially important for the human brain. They function in cell membranes, in which they are anchored by phospholipid molecules and help to make these membranes flexible.

EPA and DHA act as building blocks and also as lubricants for the brain cells. The highest content of omega-3 fatty acids is found in the most dynamic membranes (e.g. retina, brain and spermatozoa ) probably due to the highly fluidizing properties.

DHA has been proven essential to pre and postnatal brain development, whereas EPA seems more influential on behavour and mood. Both EPA and DHA generate neuroprotective molecules. In double-blind, randomized, controlled trials, DHA and EPA combinations have been shown to positively impact attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, dyspraxia, dyslexia and aggression.
For the affective disorders, meta-analyses confirm benefits in major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder, with promising results also seen in schizophrenia and initial benefits for borderline personality disorder.
Accelerated cognitive decline and mild cognitive impairment correlate with lowered tisue levels of DHA/EPA in the brain, and supplementation has improved cognitive function.

Researchers found that DHA provides a level of neuroprotection and that lower levels of red blood cell DHA –an important indicator of DHA intake are associated with smaller brain volumes.Since the concentration of DHA in the brain is dependent on dietary intake, it is important that sufficient DHA requirements are met by either adequate dietary intake or through supplements like krill oil.

Ω Krill oil contains significant amounts of DHA which is known to be a major component of membrane phospholipids of the nervous system and is important for brain function and metabolism and appears to have a neuroprotective effect.
Krill oil also provides phospholipids that are components of all cell membranes like the nerve fibres in the brain.

Researchers have demonstrated significant increase in DHA levels in the brain following Superba Krill oil supplementation. The researchers did not find any significant increase in DHA levels in the brain following fish oil supplementation and therefore it appears that omega-3 fatty acids bound to phospholipids may have greater bioavailability since they are able to cross the blood brain more easily than omega-3 fatty acids bound to triglycerides.

Ω Krill oil also contains astaxanthin, a powerfull antioxidant than can pass through the blood brain barrier.
Researchers have discovered that astaxanthin reduces free radical generation and protects neurons. The neuroprotective effect of astaxanthin appears to be due to a blend of its antioxidant and antiflammatory activity, and its capacity to protect and improve the function of mitochondria, which are intracellular organelles responsible for producing energy.

Ω Krill oil phospholipids which provide DHA and EPA together with antioxidants can give a triple cell membrane synergy, beneficial for an even wider than current range of clinical applications.

The essential omega 3 fatty acid DHA is necessary for proper brain cell communication as well as brain cell development (Kidd 2007).
Since all of the DHA is carried by a variation of phosphatidylcholine, two important brain chemicals are added with the consumption of krill oil—choline/serine/inositol/ or ethanolamine as well as DHA. DHA stimulates the production of serotonin and dopamine, which are both important constituents in chemical pathways related to mental health.

Several clinical studies have approached this by supplementing subjects with both omega 3 fatty acids and/or phosphatidylcholine. Significant improvements were observed in cognition, behavior and mood (Kidd 2007, Richardson 2005, Sinn 2007).

Thus, krill oil with its high concentration of both omega 3 fatty acids and phosphatidylcholine is essential for brain health because it takes care of its appropriate structure and supports vital functions of the nervous system.

Millions of people suffer from chronic stress which often leads to depression and burn-out syndrome.Major recurrent mood disorders including major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD) are associated with significant psychosocial morbidity and early death primarily attributable to suicide and coronary heart disease.
The limited effectiveness and adverse side effects associated with psychotropic medications used in the treatment of these depressive disorders highlight the urgent need to develop safe and effective treatments or treatment adjuncts. A body of evidence now indicates that long chain omega-3 fatty acid deficiency is feature associated with MDD and BD.

The etiology of omega-3 fatty acid deficits in MDD and BD patients may be attributable to both genetic and enviromental factors.
Dietary omega-3 fatty acid supplementation is safe and well tolerated in a sustained dose and corrects the omega-3 fatty acid deficiency in MDD and BD patients.Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation has been found to augment the therapeutic efficacy of psychotropic medications in the treatment of mood symptoms and to reduce suicide rate.

The overal cost benefit ratio associated with omega-3 fatty acid supplementation provides a strong rationale to diagnose and treat omega-3 fatty acid deficiency in MDD abd BD patients and to prevent omega-3 fatty acid deficiency in subjects at high risk for developing these disorders.
A recent meta analysis of 5 pooled clinical trials with more than 291 patients with bipolar depression revealed a significant effect in favor of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation.This meta-analysis provides strong evidence that bipolar depressive symptoms may be improved by associating omega-3 fatty acids with the treatment programm.

Omega-3 fatty acids can be safely combined with any classical anti-depressive drug therapy. A study showed that the combination therapy of marine omega-3 fatty acids with the anti-depressant drug Citalopram in 42 patients was more effective than Citalopram alone in diminishing MDD symptoms during the 8 weeks of active treatment. It might therefore be of advantage to combine omega-3 fatty acids with an antidepressant drug in the initial treatment of MDD.