Could Fish Oil Prevent Schizophrenia?

I found two papers back then, maybe 5 to 7 years ago, one published by a group out of Vienna and another by a group out of Tel Aviv.  They were giving fish oil to people at high risk for schizophrenia. They were even giving them to the pregnant moms of kids who were at risk for schizophrenia. Both studies, which I have turned the internet upside down to find again (but alas can not find the exact articles) suggested schizophrenia could be “put off” by fish oil.”

Forbes? I thought it was a financial journal, but at least this is of some interest to the business community… Look, I am not finding much more in the way of research. I am still checking out the folks at the International Society for Nutrition in Psychiatry Research. Lots of people are willing to speak in generalities about how nutrition is important in psychiatry, and should be mainstream.  But finding research on specific interventions is really tough to do. What is going on now would seem to flow from the people in Vienna I read years ago, according to what I read in “Nature” magazine.

Prevention is an ideal superior to treatment of an entity such as schizophrenia.  Still, I suspect, with even the risk of a diagnosis like this one, that it would be a bit difficult, even with the low price of Fish Oil, to get preventive fish oil to — and accepted by — the parents and family members who need it, as they may themselves be impaired. At least they hit the American clinical academic literature. And people seem to be looking at their data.  Even a conservative source like WebMD gives a lot of clinical uses. Still, clinical data for psychiatry is sparse. If you want to use it for prevention or treatment in any kind of mental illness, it is still necessary to check drug-drug interactions, (with physician, pharmacist, etc.) and talk it out with your physician.  But this is a potentially wildly effective solution for many things. Why don’t we just look at the advantages (Great) and risks (minimal)? Stay tuned.