Taking fish oil can prevent seizures in people with epilepsy

The abundant fatty acid content in fish oil seems to be useful as a new treatment for epilepsy. Researchers found that drinking fish oil reduced the incidence of seizures in experiments with mice. What's more, experts reveal that the docosahexaenoic acid (abbreviated DHA) in fish oil plays an important role in preventing seizures. You can see more information below.

What is epilepsy?

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by spontaneous and recurring seizures. These seizure attacks are triggered by a surge in electrical signals between the nerve cells of the brain (also called neurons).

Currently, there are drugs to prevent epileptic seizures. These drugs must be consumed regularly, according to a predetermined schedule.

Is it true that drinking fish oil can prevent seizures?

Previous research has shown that epileptic seizures can be reduced by DHA, which is an omega-3 fatty acid that can be found in fish oils or fats such as salmon, herring, and also in the form of fish oil supplements.

Apart from DHA, it turns out that the natural hormone in the human body, namely estrogen, also has an important role in preventing seizures. The production of the hormone estrogen will increase if you consume enough DHA.

Knowing that estrogen and DHA have the potential to prevent seizures, experts conducted research to determine if there could be a link between the two.

How can drinking fish oil prevent seizures?

The researchers conducted a study by testing three diets with the main ingredient of oil in three groups of mice for 28 days. The first group was given food containing soybean oil. The second group was given food containing cottonseed oil. Meanwhile, the last group was given food containing cotton seed oil plus DHA supplements.

These three diets were chosen because the amount of DHA in each natural ingredient is different. For example, the body will produce more DHA from soybean oil than cottonseed oil.

After 28 days, each group of mice was given a drug to trigger the seizure. Researchers found that the group given a diet containing soybean oil delayed seizures longer than the group given cottonseed oil alone.

The duration of seizures was also noted to be shorter in the group of mice that were given foods containing soybean oil.

However, the group of mice that were given a diet containing cottonseed oil and added DHA supplements delayed seizures the longest compared to the other group of mice. These findings confirm that DHA intake from food plays a major role in preventing seizures.

The importance of estrogen in preventing seizures

Next, the team of experts measured estrogen levels in the brain in each group of mice. They found that the levels of estrogen in the brains of mice that were fed a diet containing soybean oil were twice as high as that of mice that were given a diet containing cotton seed oil alone.

Interestingly, the mice that were given a diet containing cottonseed oil and added DHA supplements had the highest levels of brain estrogen among the other groups of mice. From these findings, the researchers believe that DHA greatly affects the production of estrogen in the brain, which then plays a role in preventing seizures.

The research team then proved the theory by giving mice an estrogen-suppressing drug. They found that the group of mice given the estrogen-suppressing drug experienced seizures more rapidly than the group not given the drug.

So, people with epilepsy should also drink fish oil

This research was conducted with rat subjects. However, because of the similarity in genetic structure between mice and humans, the experts concluded that the effects of DHA in fish oil would be the same in humans with epilepsy.

However, this does not mean that taking fish oil can replace the antiepileptic or anti-seizure medications your doctor has prescribed. Consult your doctor first, how you can take fish oil alongside your antiepileptic drugs. For example, how many doses are needed or the drinking schedule.