Affiliations: Department of Clinical Application, Institute of
Natural Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Toyama-shi,
Toyama 930-0194, Japan | First Department of Internal Medicine, School of
Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Toyama-shi, Toyama
930-0194, Japan | Kogakkan University, Ise-shi, Mie, Japan
Note: [] Department of Clinical Application, Institute of Natural
Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, 2630 Sugitani
Toyama-shi, Toyama 930-0194, Japan. Tel.: +81 76 434 7615; Fax: +81 76 434
5057; E-mail: hamazaki@ms.toyama-mpu.ac.jp
Abstract: DHA is abundant in the brain. Deficiency of DHA changes behavior in
animals. The purpose of the present studies was to clarify the effect of DHA
intake on hostility and plasma catecholamines. In study 1, forty-one students
took either DHA-rich oil capsules containing 1.5--1.8 g DHA/d (17 females and 5
males) or control oil capsules containing 97% males) for 3 mon in a double
blind fashion. They took a psychological test (P-F Study) at the start and end
of the study. Study 1 started at the end of summer vacation and ended in the
middle of mental stress of final exams. In the control group, hostility
measured by P-F Study was significantly increased at the end of the study as
compared with that measured at the start (+58%) was not
significantly changed in the DHA group (-14%) double blind
two-mon study (study 2), we measured plasma catecholamines and cortisol of
students (3 females and 4 males for the DHA group and the same numbers for the
control) at the start and end of the study. In study 2 the students were under
a continuous stress of final exams that lasted for two mon throughout the whole
study period. The plasma cortisol did not change in either group, but the
norepinephrine concentration was significantly decreased in the DHA group
(-31%) group. These effects of DHA intake may be applied to
people under psychological stress.
Journal: BioFactors, vol. 13, no. 1-4, pp. 41-45, 2000
