Az élelmiszerek és omega-3 zsírsav tartalmuk hangulatra gyakorolt hatása a fogyasztói vélemények tükrében

Abstract

Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses. Fifteen percent of Hungarian people suffer at least once during his life from depression which should be treated by doctors. According to the latest data of WHO the first 5 illnesses, which hit the modern societies economically mostly are of mental nature. Mental illnesses made up to 15 % of medical expenditures and this rate rises up to 20% by 2010. Several researches certified the connection between depression and the consumption of omega-3 fatty acids. It was noticed already 40-50 years ago that while in the civilized world cardiovascular origin mortality is growing, among Eskimos consuming only marine animals this illness is practically unknown. It was proved that omega-3 group is the defender factor. According to dietetic researches in our predecessors' food omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids were found in 1:1 proportion. Today this proportion approaches 1:20 and this may be the reason of several civilizational illnesses. Epidemiologic researches pointed out that where cardiovascular origin mortality is high, there depression is also common, and where the hearth mortality is low because of the big fish consumption, there depression is really rare. Close, reverse connection was pointed out between the amount of fish consumption and the frequency of depression. The lower is the proportion of omega-3 in the blood, and the higher is the omega-6: omega-3 proportion, the more serious the depression is. Our research is looking for an answer to how much consumers are aware of these connections, and whether they know and look for foods with high omega-3 content. Two focus group researches and a questionnaire with 200 participants were made in Kaposvár. In the course of them Zung depression scale was used to determine the mood of respondents. 8 non-depressed consumers were invited into one of the focus groups, 8 slightly depressed persons participated in the other group according to the scale. It can be stated that the non-depressed group pay more attention to their nourishment, however, they are willing to change their habits less, and they are more reversed towards food enriched in omega-3. All participants have already heard the term omega-3, however, they could only guess what this exactly means. Those who can connect it to some medical advantages, mentioned cardiovascular diseases, although its effect is more complicated. These fatty acids play a part in building up all cells, particularly nerve-cells, they participate in synapse, eicosanoids arise from them, hereby they can affect the immune system and they have an anti-inflammable effect. They are beneficial against asthma, allergy, arthritis, cracked heel, eczema, they improve the concentration ability, the memory and the eyesight by repairing the blood supply of retina. Their anticarcinogenic effect predominate primarily in case of the digestive tract’s cancers. Consumers’ knowlegde is incomplete on the score of which meals contain omega-3 fatty acids in high proportion. They agreed that natural sources, maybe enriched foods are preferred against dietary supplements. They had maintenances in case of the functional foods because of their price, but everybody agreed that if the enriched product would cost as much as the traditional one, they would prefer the enriched one. Our questionnaire survey also confirmed that consumers do not have proper knowledge about omega-3 fatty acids, the majority do not prefer foods with high omega-3 content.