Can Omega 3 Supplements Cure Depression?
23 Jul 2009If you have depression you know how bad it can be. It’s a sometimes daily marry go round of pharmaceuticals, doctors visits and ups and downs. But now good news is emerging the something simple like Omega 3 cures depression, or if not cures it can certainly help relieve depression.
It was around the 1990s that evidence started to emerge that showed a strong link between the intake of Omega 3 and depression levels in various societies. It was found that in societies with a lower intake of seafood depression levels were higher and vice versa. Seafood is the main food that contains Omega3 fats and so intake of seafood increases intake of these healthy fats.
Studies have now shown strong links between increasing Omega 3 intake and lowering rates of depression. Of course science moves slowly and it is always difficult to say when the link is fully proven, and what recommendations may be drawn from it. But the results of the studies are extremely encouraging.
There is much work to be done. There are all sorts of questions that need to be investigated. What is the relationship between Omega 3 and 6 intake as it relates to depression? How much of these good fats should we include in our diet? What happens if we increase our intake if we are already taking more traditional pharmaceutical anti depressants?
But it is still under study, there is good news for those currently suffering from depression. They will know all about the negative side effects of taking the various pharmaceuticals prescribed as anti depressants. But there are no known negative side effects from increasing the levels of Omega 3 in the diet, and many positive health benefits in general.
Studies about other aspects of Omega 3 fatty acids show strong correlation between increasing intake and various health benefits, and this is backed up by recognized authorities like the American Heart Association, who recommend minimum levels of Omega 3 intake by way of eating fish or supplements.
There is now strong evidence of the benefits of increasing the intake of Omega 3 fish oils to a wide range of health areas, and there is really no evidence of negative side effects.
One issue does arise though. Testing does show that many fish, or in the words of the EPA, all fish, is contaminated to some degree with various toxins like heavy metals, mercury or PCBs. So it is recommended that not too much fish ought to be eaten.
But there is more good news. The manufacturer of the worlds best fish oil supplements puts their fish oil through a rigorous decontamination process so that levels of any contaminants are so low that they cannot be detected. So we can take our Omega 3 daily.
So if you suffer from depression it would seem that there is now an extremely strong link between an improvement in the condition and your fish oil intake. And as Omega 3 is so good for you in so many other ways you’ve got nothing to lose from increasing your intake, other than, perhaps, your depression.
