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Research: HIBBELN and co-workers,
Listed in Issue 93
Abstract
HIBBELN and co-workers, Laboratory of Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Rochville, Maryland 20852, USA,. have investigated the influences of smoking, gender, and diet on red blood cell fatty acid composition amongst patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.
Background
It has been found that levels of essential fatty acids are decreased among schizophrenic patients. It has been speculated that this may be related to the disease itself, but it seems equally possible that it is due to other factors. The work aimed at elucidating this question.
Methodology
72 medicated schizophrenic or schizoaffective patients were given 3 grams per day of either eicosapentaenoic acid or placebo for 16 weeks. The fatty acid composition of their red blood cell membranes was measured before and after the intervention. Current smoking status, gender, dietary survey, and symptoms of psychiatric disease were assessed.
Results
Schizophrenic patients who smoked had significantly lower levels of both docosahexaenoic and eicosapentaenoic acids (p = 0.005 and 0.05 respectively), as compared to non-smokers. Women had higher levels of these compounds than men. Non-smoking women reported higher intake of eicosapentaenoic acid than either smoking women or men.
Conclusion
Smoking status, gender, and dietary intake significantly predicted the levels of essential fatty acids found in the study population. No evidence of relationship between polyunsaturated fatty acid composition and disease subgroups or severity of disease was found. It appears that earlier reports of associations between schizophrenia and polynsaturated fatty acid levels may have been due to patients smoking and differences in dietary intake of these substances.
References
Hibbeln JR, Makino KK< Martin CE, Dickerson F, Boronow J, Fenton WA. Smoking, gender, and dietary influences on erythrocyte essential fatty acid composition among patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Biological Psychiatry 53 (5): 431-441, Mar 1, 2003.
