Summary of "The Omega-3 Connection"

The Omega-3 Connection is a book with lots of information about omega-3 and health. The author Andrew Stoll is a reseacher working with patients who have bipolar disorder, more commonly known as manic-depressive illness.

In 1993 he and his colleague Emanuel Severus began searching for a better mood stabilizer than the typical kind of medication, e.g. lithium, that can sometimes have serious side effects. They searched throught hundreds of medical research papers and found a substance that interested them more than anything else. This was the omega-3 fatty acids which seemed to have great potential and had given very positive results in animal studies. However, it had not yet been tested on human patients with bipolar disorder. In his research Stoll found that his patients responded positively to the omega-3 treatment and it stabilized their mood.

In this book Andrew Stoll does not only write about bipolar disorder, instead the focus is on the essential fatty acids called omega-3, and he explains why these fatty acids are needed for optimal health.

There are two important omega-3 fatty acids that come from fish oil. These are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). EPA appears to be the mood regulator, whereas DHA is an important fatty acid for the brain and is needed for the brain to develop and function properly. There is also a short-chained omega-3 called alpha linolenic acid (ALA). ALA can be found in for example flaxseed oil, walnuts and canola oil.

Fat fish such as salmon contains lots of omega-3s but there are also supplements if you don't like fish. However, the quality of omega-3 supplements can vary in regard to oxidation and contamination. It is important that the fish oil does not oxidate and this is why antioxidants are added to protect the oil. In The Omega-3 Connection Stoll recommends five high quality supplements and the book also contains lots of recipes for good health.

The Omega-3 Connection is based on the latest research about omega-3s. The book has 15 chapters and Stoll writes about omega-3 in relation to schitzophrenia, depression, pregnancy, stress, ADHD, and he explains how omega-3 can help fight desease and enhance health.

If you want to learn more about omega-3s and why they are good for your health, then this is the book to read. I have read a few books about the subject and this is the best one that I have read so far. This book is well written and also very interesting.

Book Summaries

Fiction
Health
Psychology
Biography
Awards

Book Awards

Man Booker Prize
Nobel Prize
Pulitzer Prize