Omega-3 supplementation and Stress

An April 2021 study by The Ohio State University said,

"The findings suggest that omega-3 supplementation is one relatively simple change people could make that could have a positive effect at breaking the chain between stress and negative health effects,”

"You could consider an increase in cortisol and inflammation potential factors that would erode telomere length," 

"The assumption based on past work is that telomerase can help rebuild telomere length, and you want to have enough telomerase present to compensate for any stress-related damage.”

"The fact that our results were dose-dependent, and we're seeing more impact with the higher omega-3 dose, would suggest that this supports a causal relationship."

"Not everyone who is depressed has heightened inflammation - about a third do. This helps explain why omega-3 supplementation doesn't always result in reduced depressive symptoms," 

"If you don't have heightened inflammation, then omega-3s may not be particularly helpful. But for people with depression who do, our results suggest omega-3s would be more useful."

Some dietary sources of Omega-3

Fish, especially salmon, tuna, herring, sardines and mackerel

Seeds especially walnuts, chia seeds, flaxseed

Nuts

Itching, Nervous and Immune Systems

An April 2021 study by Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School said,

"In atopic dermatitis, the itching can be horrific and it can aggravate disease," 

"We began collaborating for two reasons: one is an interest in science -- I wandered into the study of what is now the cysteine leukotriene pathway decades ago, and I've been pursuing it ever since. The second reason is itch -- understanding its cause and connections to neurons."

"As a neuro-immunologist, I'm interested in how the nervous system and immune system cross-talk," 

"Itch arises from a subset of neurons, and acute itch may be a protective response to help us remove something that's irritating the skin. However, chronic itch is not protective and can be pathological. The underlying mechanism that activates neurons and causes chronic itch is not well understood and new treatment is needed."

"The last ten years or so of research in the field of chronic itch have shown the importance and the complexity of the interactions between the immune system and the nervous system," 

"It was very exciting to explore the contribution of cysteine leukotrienes in these neuro-immune cross-talks leading to itch, including in a mouse model of AD."

"The joy of research is doing it for the pleasure of finding out something you didn't know. The immune system is far more complex than we give it credit for. Understanding the involvement of nerves is an immense step forward -- it's been a missing piece in the study of inflammation. In my view, this is immensely important to connect neuroscience with those of us committed to studying inflammation."