Neuropsychiatric symptoms, omega-3, and mercury exposure in freshwater fish-eaters.

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Environ Occup Health. 2008 Fall;63(3):143- 53.

Neuropsychiatric symptoms, omega-3, and mercury exposure in freshwater

fish-eaters.

http://www.ncbi. nlm.nih.gov/ pubmed/18980878? dopt=AbstractPlu s

Philibert

A, Bouchard

M, Mergler

D.

CINBIOSE, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Montréal,

Québec, Canada.

Mercury is a neurotoxin, absorbed primarily through fish

consumption. However, the nutritional benefit from omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 FA)

may offset the deleterious effects of mercury. Increased n-3 FA have been

associated with lower rates of mood disorders. The authors examined

neuropsychiatric symptoms among 243 freshwater fish-eaters, with low serum n-3

FA (median = 0.11 mg/mL) and low mercury exposure (median in blood and hair =

2.22 and 0.54 mug/g). They assessed neuropsychiatric symptoms with the Brief

Symptom Inventory. The results did not show the expected inverse association

between serum n-3 FA and neuropsychiatric symptoms. For men who consumed more

than 130 g of alcohol per week, the authors observed a positive association

between serum n-3 FA and neuropsychiatric symptoms, possibly reflecting an

alcohol-related release of n-3 FA from membranes into blood. They observed a

positive relation between hair mercury and neuropsychiatric symptoms solely for

women, suggesting that men may respond differently to mercury.

PMID: 18980878 [PubMed - in process]