魚油功效再拓展 竟有助根除酗酒惡習
衆所周知，魚油保健藥品對於健康有着神奇療效，可以治療包括自閉症到老年癡呆等多種疑難雜症。
Now new evidence suggests the omega 3 fatty acids could tackle alcohol abuse as well.
據一項最近的研究發現，魚油中富含的omega-3脂肪酸還有抑制酒精上癮的效果，可以緩解酗酒的問題。
Scientists from the Indian University School of Medicine made the discovery by chance when studying whether fish oil had any benefit for bipolar disorder.
來自印度醫科大學的科學家們在一項研究關於魚油是否有益於雙相情感障礙的試驗中，意外發現了omega-3脂肪酸控制酒精依賴的功效。
Lead author Dr Alexander Niculescu found that the fatty acid DHA, which is the main ingredient of fish oil, 'normalised' behaviour of mice with the condition.
主導該項研究的亞歷山大·尼古列斯庫博士發現，脂肪酸中含有DHA有這樣一種功效，攝入DHA之後，小白鼠的雙相情感障礙的症狀得以“正常化”。
'They are not depressed and when subjected to stress they do not become manic,' Dr Niculescu said.
尼古列斯庫博士說：“它們不再表現出抑鬱的症狀，在施加壓力的情況下，柏樹也不再顯得焦躁不安。”
However, an unexpected finding of the research was that the fatty acid also reduced the desire for alcohol.
儘管如此，這項實驗還意外地發現，魚油中的DHA還緩解了白鼠對於酒精的依賴。
'These bipolar mice, like some bipolar patients, love alcohol,' Dr Niculescu said.
尼古列斯庫博士表示，“一些躁鬱症患者的情況就如同這些小白鼠，它們都沉迷於酒精之中。”
'The mice on DHA drank much less, it curtailed their alcohol abusive behaviour.'
“攝入DHA後的白鼠對於酒精的依賴程度降低，這有助於抑制濫用酒精的行爲。”
The researchers then gave DHA to alcohol-preferring rats and noted a similar effect.
研究人員在一些對酒精上癮的老鼠身上實驗了DHA的作用，並取得了類似的效果。
'We believe a diet rich in omega 3 fatty acids may help the treatment and prevention of bipolar disorder, and may help with alcoholism as well,' Dr Niculescu said.
“我們相信，在日常膳食中增加omega-3的攝取將提高治療和預防雙相情感障礙，同時也會對緩解酗酒有所療效，”尼古列斯庫博士表示。
He said there was now substantial evidence at the molecular level that omega-3 fatty acids worked on the brain in a similar way to psychiatric drugs. He added that the next step would be clinical studies in humans.
他表示，從分子的角度來說，有證據表明omega-3脂肪酸對與大腦的功效類似於精神病藥物，接下來將展開人體的臨牀飾演。
'A lot more work needs to be done in this area,' Dr Niculescu said.
“不過在這方面還有許多的工作要做。”
