Nutrition and Mental Health Part 5 — Essential fatty acids and neurotransmitters

Let’s talk about essential fatty acids and their important role in brain development and functioning. There is a balance of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, and the increase of ultra-processed foods in our diet changes it. Ideally, the right ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 is 1:1 or 2:1. The western diet, being low in fish and seafood, and high in ultra-processed foods, can now raise the ratio to 15:1 and even higher. This is bad for your health, as a ratio that high is associated with cardiovascular disease, excessive inflammation, and even some forms of cancer. (You can read these two books to learn specifically about all these compounds:

• Morris, A.L., Mohiuddin, S.S. (2020). Biochemistry, Nutrients. May 18, 2020.
• Huskisson, E., Maggini, S., Ruf, M. (2007). The role of vitamins and minerals in energy metabolism and well-being. Journal of International Medical Research, Volume 35.)

These are called essential fatty acids because we need to get them from food or supplements, as we cannot synthesize them in our bodies. As for micronutrients, we already defined them as:

• Vitamins — organic compounds, fat or water-soluble, with the difference that the fat-soluble ones are stored in the fat cells, while the water-soluble vitamins are easily excreted.
• Minerals — relatively stable compounds that can be found in the Mendeleev periodic table.