Fish oil might stop schizophrenia

Swallowing a daily dose of fish oil may stop young people vulnerable to schizophrenia from ever developing the condition, a landmark study has found.An international psychiatry conference in Melbourne will be told that omega-3 fatty acids, believed to be beneficial for conditions from heart disease to ADHD, could also help delay or prevent the onset of severe mental illness.The findings could offer a safe way to treat a crippling condition and potentially prevent schizophrenia, without the drastic side-effects of anti-psychotic medications, say experts from the Orygen Research Centre in Melbourne. "This is an amazing result in a natural product that really puts it out as a serious treatment for people seen most likely to develop psychotic illness," said lead researcher Professor Paul Amminger. "It performed even better than the traditional medications in this particularly vulnerable group so this really shouldn't be overlooked."The researchers enlisted 81 'high risk' young people aged 13 to 24 who had previously suffered brief hallucinations or delusions.Typically, if left untreated one-third of these individuals will go on to develop a sustained psychotic disorder.Half were treated with capsules of fish oil, a rich source of omega-3 fats for three months, while the rest took a fishy-tasting dummy substitute.

One year on, three per cent of those who had taken fish oil supplements had developed schizophrenia. This compared with 28 per cent of those who had swallowed the placebo.Previous studies have suggested that anti-psychotic drugs when used early in illness reduce the rate to about 12 per cent.