Thursday, February 05, 2009

Omega-3 and female depression

Higher intakes of omega-3 fatty acids and oily fish may reduce the number of occasions that women suffer depressive symptoms by about 30 per cent. Women with the highest intake of oily fish reduced their number of depressive moments by 25 per cent, while a high intake of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA reduced this number by 29 per cent, according to researchers from Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the University of California, San Francisco. According to findings in the journal Nutrition.

The researchers analyzed dietary intakes of fish and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) amongst 3,317 African-American and Caucasian men and women. The average age of the participants at the start of the study was 35. Symptoms of depression were measured using the 20-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. For the population as a whole, EPA, DHA, and EPA plus DHA were associated with reduced risk of depressive symptoms at the ten-year stage. The effect was more pronounced in women, they note. Indeed, the highest intake of fish was associated with a 25 per cent reduction in the risk of depressive symptoms, while the highest intakes of EPA, DHA, and EPA plus DHA were associated with a 34, 34, and 29 per cent reduction in risk, compared to women with the lowest average intakes.

Earlier this week, findings from Canadian researchers found that supplements of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) led to improvements in depressive symptoms in menopausal women (Am. J. Clin. Nutr., Vol. 89, pp. 641-651).

The number of studies reporting a potential beneficial effect from increased omega-3 fatty acid for depression is increasing. In the last couple of years, studies from various corners of the earth, including Norway (Journal of Affective Disorders), and England and Iran (Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry), have reported positive results.

Bonnie - it is a positive step to see data mount on the omega-3/depression link.

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