Capt Joseph Hibbeln, MD

Joseph R Hibbeln M.D. (CAPT, USPHS Ret.)
Psychiatrist, Nutritional Neuroscientist, and Benjamin Meaker
Distinguished Visiting Professor, University of Bristol, UK.

Dr. Joseph R. Hibbeln is world-renowned for his pioneering research into the role of omega-3 fatty acids in brain health, and the relevance of nutrition for the prevention and management of psychiatric disorders.

He was one of the very first investigators to flag the importance of adequate dietary omega-3 intakes for mental wellbeing, carrying out cross-national comparisons of seafood consumption in relation to psychiatric disorders, organizing a key international conference on this theme at the US National Institutes of Health in 1998, and originating the field of omega-3 fatty acid deficiencies in relation to depression.

His extensive international collaborations have included:

• Primary collaborator in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, Bristol, UK, examining the residual effect of nutritional insufficiencies in pregnancy in childhood neurodevelopmental outcomes and relevant gene-nutrient interactions;
• Lead author on the Lancet 2007 publication of pioneering findings from that dataset - which contributed to multiple US agencies reconsidering their dietary guidelines on fish and seafood intakes in pregnancy. Dr. Hibbeln recently was invited to present to the US National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine to re-evaluate current US Dietary Advice;
• Providing key input to major systematic reviews and meta-analyses of clinical trials, leading to the establishment of professional treatment guidelines on the use of omega-3 for depression and other psychiatric disorders;
• Clinical trials of omega-3 for the prevention of suicide, postpartum depression, and antisocial behaviour, including violence;
• Numerous experimental studies documenting the biochemical, pharmacological and physical effects of changing dietary fat intakes, and their physical and mental health implications.

His specialist research areas include the role of omega-3 in depressive and aggressive disorders, and the benefits of fish consumption during pregnancy for children’s brain development – which all the available evidence shows include higher IQ, better psychological and motor skills and more optimal emotional regulation and social behaviours.

Now working as a practicing adult psychiatrist with Mindful Health Solutions in El Dorado Hills, California, Dr. Hibbeln is now directly treating people struggling with major depression, bipolar disorders, aggression, ADHD and addictions. He has a special interest in nutritional psychiatry – as he considers that understanding how dietary and nutritional factors can affect both the mind and body, and ensuring adequate brain nutrition, is likely to improve responses to psychiatric medications and other interventions, such as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. Brain nutrition is crucial to holistic forms of treatment tailored to the individual’s needs. He feels it is critical to ensure that everyone’s brain receives adequate and fundamental nutritional support to optimized their overall mental health.

Dr Hibbeln’s extensive research knowledge and experience, his public advocacy, together with his outstanding expertise as a speaker and communicator for public and professional as well as academic audiences, place him in high demand to communicate scientific findings in this field, in addition to his ongoing research collaborations.