AVOID A SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS THIS WINTER

Shorter days, lower temperatures and poor weather conditions can give anyone the winter blues, but for some people it goes beyond feeling a little down, thanks to what is known as Seasonal Affective Disorder – SAD.

SAD sufferers experience bouts of severe depression, increased appetite and weight gain, feelings of extreme sadness and anxiety, lethargy and longer periods of sleep.  They also feel irritable and withdraw from social contact, as if hibernating.

This condition is said to be influenced by latitude and distance from the equator, but can also be handed down through families, through genetics.  Between 13 and 17 per cent of those who have first degree relatives with SAD will experience it themselves.

There is also another link between SAD sufferers.  The US National Institutes of Health (NIH), in the American Journal of Psychiatry, February 2001, made a strong connection between a low incidence of SAD and high fish consumption.  There are much lower rates of SAD in countries like Japan and parts of Europe, than in the northern USA.  SAD is also virtually unknown in Iceland, despite huge seasonal changes.

The study found that the amount of fish consumed per person, per year, in Iceland was 225 lbs.  The Japanese consumed 147 lbs, whilst the USA and Canada only consumed 48 and 51 lbs respectively.

Additionally, there has been an alarming increase in SAD, general depression and anxiety in Arctic regions, where a typically Western diet has replaced the traditional seafood-based diets.  By consuming food packed with simple carbohydrates and saturated fat, those around the Arctic have been stripped of Omega-3s.

Links between a low level of Omega-3 consumption and depression are nothing new, but the linkage between SAD and a lack of essential fatty acids in the diet further confirms the view that EPA (eicosapentaenoic) is hugely important in maintaining mental health and preventing mood disorders.

EPA has been shown to make people more content, stable and balanced and trials have shown its effectiveness in assisting those with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Bipolar depression and ME.   High strength, pharmaceutical grade fish oil may be the answer when it comes to fighting all kinds of mental disorder, but the problem lies in consuming enough fish to make the necessary difference. 

The recommendation of experts is to take Omega-3 supplementation, thus deriving the amount of EPA that can provide the body’s natural needs for optimal brain function.  By taking capsules, people can also avoid consuming contaminants such as mercury, found in many sea fish.

Our own EPA, at Healthy and Essential, has been the preferred choice of top medical experts and advisors for several years.  Each 1000mg MorEPA capsule contains just under 600mg of EPA (580mg) and 83mg of DHA and is the richest and purest source of Omega-3 EPA fish oil available. 

MorEPA is produced following a thorough filtration and chilling process that removes any possible traces of potentially harmful toxins, including mercury.  EPA is extracted only from fish caught in deep water and never from farmed fish.  The catch is frozen to 500 centrigrade for four weeks, to attain the ultimate level of purity and the quality of the EPA and DHA is retained, thanks to there being no hexane used during processing – something that can destroy Omega-3 fatty acids.

If you are dreading the arrival of winter, or know someone displaying all the symptoms of SAD, it is a great time to try Omega-3s and see if a regular dosage of EPA brings a turnaround.  Thanks to its high EPA fill per capsule, you need only take one MorEPA capsule rather than the three or four required from lesser products made up of only 30 per cent Omega-3 and 70 per cent surplus, non-beneficial fat.  After a few months, the difference should be noticeable.

As the clocks go back and the afternoons grow darker and drearier, why not kick-start a resolution to cope better, stay positive and fight fatigue.  The long haul of winter may be almost upon us, but with a dietary boost, you may find a few rays of happiness shining through, just like those in the land of the rising sun, or around the geysers of Iceland.

More information about SAD is available at www.sada.org.uk

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