Relationships among skin conditions, mood, and polyunsaturated fatty acids of RBCs in healthy women.

Little is known about nonpathological facial skin problems at present. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationships among facial skin conditions, mood, and the fatty acid composition of red blood cells (RBCs) in women. One hundred and thirty-two apparently healthy Japanese women aged between 20 and 60 years were recruited. Facial skin conditions were analyzed using a Robo Skin Analyzer, and the RBC fatty acid composition was also determined. Questionnaires concerning mood were administered. Forehead pigmentation was more mood-dependent (in 20s group) and less arachidonic acid (AA)-dependent (in all participants) than that in other areas of the face. Actually there was no correlation in pigmentation between the forehead and other areas of the face when adjusted for age, smoking, and drinking. Skin conditions were adversely correlated with a negative mood. α-Linolenic acid concentrations were negatively correlated with negative mood scores. Pigmentation characteristics in the forehead were independent from other areas of the face. Negative mood and AA were adversely correlated with skin conditions.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids and blood circulation in the forebrain during a mental arithmetic task.

The effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids on human cerebral blood oxygenation have yet to be extensively investigated. In this study, healthy participants (14 men, 40 women) aged between 20 and 49 years were recruited. All female participants entered the trial at the start of their menstrual cycle. Blood was sampled before measuring cerebral blood oxygenation in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and prior to administering two kinds of questionnaires, the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and a questionnaire regarding participants' arousal level. Blood oxygenation in the PFC was continuously monitored immediately before and during the Uchida-Kraepelin Performance (UKP) test as a mental arithmetic task. Changes in the tissue oxygenation index (the ratio of oxyhemoglobin to oxyhemoglobin+deoxyhemoglobin; TOI, a simplified index for cerebral blood circulation) were measured by near-infrared spectroscopy. Multiple regression analysis was performed with sex, age, smoking and drinking as confounding factors. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) was positively associated with TOI, which was positively associated with arousal level and inversely associated with negative mood (POMS). EPA and docosahexaenoic acid were inversely associated with depression-dejection (POMS) and positively associated with arousal level and overall performance in the UKP test. We suggest that EPA might increase the oxygenation level in the PFC, in turn improving various psychological parameters and performance.