Fish Oil Eases Depression

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Fish Oil

Eases Depression

 

WebMD Medical News

 

Oct. 18, 2002 -- It may sound fishy, but researchers say

taking a

daily fish-oil supplement may boost the effectiveness --

or even

replace -- antidepressants for treating depression in

some people.

 

In a new study, people who added a daily dose of omega-3

fatty acids

to their regular antidepressant treatment had significant

improvement

in symptoms, including anxiety, sleeping problems,

sadness, decreased

sexual desire, and suicidal tendencies.

 

Although there are many effective treatments for

depression, most only

work in a limited number of patients or have significant

side effects

that prompt users to stop taking them. That's inspired

researchers to

look for new ways to treat the mental illness or increase

the

effectiveness of existing treatments.

 

Previous studies have suggested that depressed people

have

lower-than-normal levels of a fatty acid known as EPA

(eicosapentaenoic acid), which plays an important role in

maintaining

normal brain function.

 

In this study, the researchers examined the effectiveness

of adding

various dosages of EPA supplement to normal drug therapy

in 70 people

with persistent depression that was not responding to

standard

antidepressants. The results appear in the October issue

of the

Archives of General Psychiatry.

 

Researcher Malcolm Peet, MD, of Swallownest Court

Hospital in

Sheffield, England, and colleagues found that patients

who took the

lowest, 1-gram daily, fish-oil dose showed significant

improvements on

all major measures of depression compared with those who

took a

placebo. In particular, 69% of the patients who took the

1-gram dose

had a 50% reduction in their symptoms, compared with only

25% of those

who took a placebo.

 

A 2-gram dose showed little effect, but those taking the

highest,

4-gram, dose showed a trend toward improvement in

symptoms. The

researchers say larger studies are needed to confirm

these effects.

 

The omega-3 fatty acid may work to ease depression by

improving the

effectiveness and absorption of existing medications, the

researchers

say. But they note that a limited number of their

patients who are not

on antidepressant therapy have seen improvements similar

to those seen

in this study through treatment with fish-oil supplements

alone.

 

In addition, they say treatment with omega-3 fatty acid

may be

especially beneficial for depressed patients who are at

risk for heart

disease, in light of recent research about fish oil's

heart-healthy

effects.

 

“Fortunately

art is a community effort - a small but select community living in a

spiritualized world endeavoring to interpret the wars and the solitudes of the

flesh.”

 

-Allen Ginsberg

 

 

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