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Start Today: Omega-3s and B-vitamins for Depression

I went to Trader Joe's the other day and the free sample guy Bryan said "Hey, the depression book lady! You know, that stuff really works."

He went on to say that since we spoke last a few months ago he started taking an Omega-3 and a B-vitamin supplement religiously and has gotten mood relief.

Bryan started taking these supplements even without blood work because of the evidence for their effectiveness in alleviating depression. First, most of us do not get enough of these nutrients and fats in our diet and just adding them will give us a better sense of wellness. Second, in clinical trials participants tend to have improved moods while taking them. The clinical trials often do not even test to see if the participants are deficient. And frankly, most of them would be.

Unless you have made a concerted effort, the smart money is that you have not consumed enough Omega-3s or folate, perhaps for your entire life.

If you or a loved one are struggling with depression, read Chapter 8: The Usual Suspects.

This chapter describes the importance of Omega-3 fatty acids and B-vitamins. This version of the manuscript is not final in content and has not been edited since my last round of revisions, so pardon the typos. They are all mine and I apologize in advance.

Finding Omega-3 supplements

The book excerpts do not include the Appendix which will have recommendations on supplements. You can easily access Omega-3 fatty acid and B-vitamin supplements. I am looking for the best supplements to offer on the website, but one simple solution is to walk into your local independent health food store and ask for their best supplement. My preferred cod liver oil is from Nordic Naturals. The best price right now is at www.vitacost.com. I have purchased the 16 oz liquid form because that is the best value. If the thought of cod liver oil or fish oil makes you gag, look for a gel cap form.

Dr Andrew Stoll recommends about 4 grams of EPA for depression. That is a lot of supplementation, so even if you take half that amount, you'll want to shop the price. Look at the label on the back of the supplement for the amount of EPA. Most will be in milligrams. One thousand milligrams equals one gram. You'll see that it takes a lot of cod liver oil to reach four grams of EPA.

Finding B-vitamin supplements

Brewer's Yeast enriched with B-vitamins is a very good B-vitamin supplement. I used to take a tablet form from GNC that worked well. A cheaper form is powder that you mix with water, available at any health food store. If you take the powdered approach, get the "de-bittered" variety. Ask at your independent health food store for Brewer's Yeast and, if it's powdered, ask if they've tasted it. You might take about double the recommended levels for a couple of weeks. If you find yourself reorganizing the cupboards at midnight, you've taken too much. Brewer's Yeast can give you some energy, but you need your sleep more than your cupboards need reorganizing.

Alternatively ask someone at your local independent health food store for their recommendation on a B-complex vitamin for you.

B-vitamins and liver

Those who know me well know that my favorite B-vitamin supplement is actually liver. I mentioned the Brewer's Yeast above because that is the most palatable choice for most people. Another path to B-vitamins is through eating liver. Yes, I mean the internal organ of an animal. When I eat liver about three times a week, I have a great boost of energy, I am able to handle stress, and the many life stresses do not upset me as much as they normally would. If I haven't disgusted you with this, liver is another strategy for you.

Nothing is easy if you are struggling with depression

There may be no supplement on the planet that can turn your life around in a few days if you are at the bottom of a bad cycle.

If you are able to begin to take a B-vitamin an Omega-3 fatty acid supplement, do that today. The B-vitamins may only take a week to show an effect, but nutritional therapies in general may take weeks or months. It is a long-term strategy. And on bad days you'll forget to take the supplements. That's OK. Take them when you remember. Over time, your down cycles should be shorter and less bad. The time between these down cycles will be longer. That's progress. I am hoping for many good days for you.

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If you have a friend who needs this information, send them this entry. At the bottom of the page for this post, you will see an option to "share with a friend." Send this to them today. It's a good day to get started.

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Comments (15)

Missy`:

Amanda,

I can't stand liver, but I've heard about dessicated liver tablets. What do you think of these? Is there a brand you can recommend? Also, I can't wait for your book to come out. I just found out about a month ago that I have anxiety and mild depression. I think I've been in denial for about 10 years.

Missy

Hi Missy. Thanks for the post.

I've been taking Dr Ron's freeze dried liver and it works well. It doesn't quite have the effect for me as the real thing, but I don't get tired of it as easy and it's great to have on the road. Here's his site:
http://www.drrons.com/organs-glands.htm

There are some other freeze dried products out. The processing is better than for dessicated liver. I'd go that route if you have an option.

Amanda

Missy`:

Thanks for the help, I think I will get some.

Missy

Denice:

I totally agree with eating liver ~ I do feel like I have more energy after eating some.

We have found a good way to "hide" liver in the kids food is to include it in any casserole dish that has ground meat ... our favorites are chopped up chicken livers in lasagna or meat balls.

Since I've been down lately b/c of too many things on my plate, I think we will be having liver this weekend.

Hi Denice.

I tried to convince our meat processor to add all of the organs to the hamburger. They refused. "It will ruin your hamburger, Amanda."

How much liver do you add for every pound of ground beef? I think we've tried something in the neighborhood of 25% liver.

Amanda

Irene:

Thank you for your information on using natural ways to battle depression. I used a supplement called EMPower Plus from www.truehope.com. It worked. Also, amino acids can help.
The brain needs many things. Individual results vary, depending on which nutrient is missing: minerals, amino acids, the right kind of fat, sugar and vitamins all play a role.

Thanks Irene! I agree. The key is definitely to fill in what we are missing. The book has info on testing so that it doesn't have to be quite like a game of "pin the tail on the donkey."

Amanda

Sally Mosher:

So interesting. I'm a retired social worker w/several severely depressed and bipolar friends. I'm aware of the effectiveness of omega 3s and Bs, and look forward to learning more. I assume you have a source for organic liver -- I've not found it in supplement form or at my local healthfood stores, and would not be willing to take anything other than organic.

Sally,

Organic calf liver would be the best bet. Whole Foods carries it and it is a fairly reasonable price, particularly given the nutrients. You can buy freeze dried liver tablets. I may be offering some on this site in a few months. I think they work pretty well, but in my case, fresh liver seems to be best.

Amanda

CMB:

Hello, Amanda,
You have a wonderful website, but I noticed in the "Start Today" article about Omega 3s and B vitamins, you refer to a Dr. Stoll recommending 4 mg's of EPA a day.
Pardon my ignorance, but I looked all over that article and could not find out what EPA is....
Just what are you referring to?

Thanks... keep up the good work!

CMB

CMB,

Hey. Sorry about that. And sorry about your comment. It was lost in the SPAM folder. I wrote more about Omega 3s here and I'll be posting more over the next month or so. I can't find anything that talks specifically about EPA so it looks to me like I need to do that. :)

http://www.rebuild-from-depression.com/blog/2007/09/omega_3_how_much_for_how_long.html

Amanda

JaneS:

Lewis Labs Brewer's Yeast Buds taste very good, kind of nutty flavored. Really good in a smoothie made with raw cacao powder! (nice hit of magnesium from the cacao, too.)

Thanks Jane! I'll give it a try.

Susan Allport:

Thought you'd be interested in this short omega-3 video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIgNpsbvcVM

Hi Susan. Thanks for posting the video. It sure makes the point. I'll put up a proper blog post about the video and your book.

Amanda

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