This article is part of the supplement: Fatty acids and neuropsychiatric disorders .

Research

Fatty acids and oxidative stress in psychiatric disorders

Sofia Tsaluchidu¹ , Massimo Cocchi¹ , Lucio Tonello^1,2 and Basant K Puri²

¹  Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy

²  MRI Unit, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Imaging Sciences Department, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London W12 0HS, UK

author email corresponding author email

BMC Psychiatry 2008, 8(Suppl 1):S5doi:10.1186/1471-244X-8-S1-S5

Published:	17 April 2008

Abstract

Background

The aim of this study was to determine whether there is published evidence for increased oxidative stress in neuropsychiatric disorders.

Methods

A PubMed search was carried out using the MeSH search term 'oxidative stress' in conjunction with each of the DSM-IV-TR diagnostic categories of the American Psychiatric Association in order to identify potential studies.

Results

There was published evidence of increased oxidative stress in the following DSM-IV-TR diagnostic categories: mental retardation; autistic disorder; Rett's disorder; attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; delirium; dementia; amnestic disorders; alcohol-related disorders; amphetamine (or amphetamine-like)-related disorders; hallucinogen-related disorders; nicotine-related disorders; opioid-related disorders; schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders; mood disorders; anxiety disorders; sexual dysfunctions; eating disorders; and sleep disorders.

Conclusion

Most psychiatric disorders are associated with increased oxidative stress. Patients suffering from that subgroup of these psychiatric disorders in which there is increased lipid peroxidation might therefore benefit from fatty acid supplementation (preferably with the inclusion of an antioxidant-rich diet) while patients suffering from all these psychiatric disorders might benefit from a change to a whole-food plant-based diet devoid of refined carbohydrate products.