In a first-of-its-kind study on the direct link between oily fish and schizophrenia, a recent Japanese study found that eating oily fish for pregnant women may protect their children from the risk of developing schizophrenia in adulthood.
Although it is known that these fatty acids, which are abundant in salmon, mackerel, and sardines, are very beneficial for the brain, this new study is the first evidence of a relationship between these acids and the risk of schizophrenia.
The researchers also discovered in the study, the results of which were reported by the newspaper "Daily Mail", similar effects for pregnant female mice that are deficient in omega-6 acids, which are available in mayonnaise, sunflower seeds, and flaxseeds.
For his part, Dr. Motoko Maekawa, who led the study, described the study as the first in the field of psychiatry to link nutrition with the risk of disease, noting that it is evidence that drugs that act on nuclear receptors can be a new treatment for schizophrenia.
Nuclear receptors are one of the types of receptors that consist mainly of proteins and are found inside the cells of the body and are responsible for sensing the presence of certain hormones or other molecules that are sensitive to them, and in response to the presence of these hormones or molecules, these receptors can interact to work in concert with other vital factors to increase the gene expression of genes certain.
Although the study contradicts National Health guidelines that recommend mothers to eat no more than two portions of oily fish each week during pregnancy, researchers at the RIKEN Institute of Brain Sciences in Tokyo have turned to evaluate the association of schizophrenia with fatty acids due to the latter's strong link to mental development.
In a first-of-its-kind study on the direct link between oily fish and schizophrenia, a recent Japanese study found that eating oily fish for pregnant women may protect their children from the risk of developing schizophrenia in adulthood.
Although it is known that these fatty acids, which are abundant in salmon, mackerel, and sardines, are very beneficial for the brain, this new study is the first evidence of a relationship between these acids and the risk of schizophrenia.
The researchers also discovered in the study, the results of which were reported by the newspaper "Daily Mail", similar effects for pregnant female mice that are deficient in omega-6 acids, which are available in mayonnaise, sunflower seeds, and flaxseeds.
For his part, Dr. Motoko Maekawa, who led the study, described the study as the first in the field of psychiatry to link nutrition with the risk of disease, noting that it is evidence that drugs that act on nuclear receptors can be a new treatment for schizophrenia.
Nuclear receptors are one of the types of receptors that consist mainly of proteins and are found inside the cells of the body and are responsible for sensing the presence of certain hormones or other molecules that are sensitive to them, and in response to the presence of these hormones or molecules, these receptors can interact to work in concert with other vital factors to increase the gene expression of genes certain.
Although the study contradicts National Health guidelines that recommend mothers to eat no more than two portions of oily fish each week during pregnancy, researchers at the RIKEN Institute of Brain Sciences in Tokyo have turned to evaluate the association of schizophrenia with fatty acids due to the latter's strong link to mental development.
nutrition expert
