Omega-3 Intake Can Help Depression, Too

Robert W. Griffith, MD

We all know by now that omega-3 fatty acids are good for you, whether taken in food (fish, seeds, etc) or as a supplement. The main benefit is seen on the cardiovascular system, but an unexpected condition has been shown to respond to increased omega-3 intake - depression. Taiwan scientists have used meta-analysis to evaluate the therapeutic benefit of omega-3 intake in mood disorders. They have published their results in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Ten double-blind, placebo-controlled studies in patients with treatment lasting at least 4 weeks were analyzed. Taking omega-3 supplements was linked to a significant antidepressant effect in both clearly defined depression and bipolar disorder. The authors recognized that different methods were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment, so that pooling the individual results might be open to question. However, the finding is sufficiently interesting to stimulate further studies using a more rigid design and varying doses. These should probably be complemented by studying the effects of different omega-3-containing diets on depression ...

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HealthandAge Blog

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