Omega-3 fatty acid balance influences depression risk

yeahright

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Omega-3 fatty acid balance influences depression risk

A report scheduled to be published online in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine concluded that Americans need to improve their ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids if we want to reduce depression and inflammatory diseases.

Ohio State University professor of psychiatry and psychology Jan Kiecolt-Glaser and colleagues studied 43 middle-aged to elderly men and women, of whom nearly half were the caregivers of spouses with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias, which is known to confer a significant amount of stress. The participants' blood was analyzed for interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor -alpha (TNF-alpha) and the receptor molecule for IL-6, all involved in inflammation. Completed questionnaires provided information on diet and depression levels.

It was found that participants who consumed more omega-6 compared to omega-3 fatty acids and who reported more symptoms of depression had significantly higher levels of the inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-alpha.

"In this study, we're looking at the intersection of behavior, immune function and diet. In past experiments, we concentrated only on the first two," Dr Kiecolt-Glaser commented. "It now appears that diet is a very important variable in the equation as to how people respond to depression and stress."

"The data suggest that higher depression and a poorer diet in terms of omega-3 can work together to promote inflammation. Other researchers have shown that clinically depressed people -- those with more severe depression -- often have lower omega-3 levels in their blood, and several studies have shown that supplementing diets with omega-3 improves depression," he noted. "People who are depressed don't eat well, or it might be that there is something about depression that affects how well people process such foods."

Coauthor Martha Belury added, "The important message for consumers is that they don't have to take mega-doses of omega-3 to have some impact."
 
prld2gr8ns

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Yep, it's official. Fish oil is the supp worlds duct tape.
 
poopypants

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very informative, thanks yeahright! glad i got me omega...
 

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