Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Depression and Inflammation

Filed in archive Studies , Treatment on April 2, 2007

Our intake of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids needs to be balanced, because in those diets that dramatically contain more of one kind of polyunsaturated fatty acid than another may be at greater risk for both clinical depression and certain inflammatory diseases.

[The current typical American diet contains 20 times more omega-6 than omega-3, a ratio that researchers say should be lowered to 4-to-1, or even 2-to-1.]

The analysis showed that participants who had much more omega-6 -- compared to omega-3 -- fatty acids, and who also were reporting more symptoms of depression, had much higher levels of IL-6 and TNF-alpha, two cytokines which enhance inflammation.

Such were the suggestions of findings by researchers from the Ohio State University, published online in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.

According to Jan Kiecolt-Glaser, professor of psychiatry and psychology at Ohio State and lead author on the paper:

"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. 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. 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."

Previous researchers have linked increased intake of omega-3s to reduction of depression, it's not really surprising that inflammation gets in the picture. Our body's processes goes into a havoc when we're depressed, and not usually in the healthy direction.

Find more details from the full report.

[article abstract]