Combatting Depression with a Better Diet

What omega-3 fatty acids can do for you

Jerry Cott, PhD

April, 2004

Omega-3 fatty acids - found in salmon steaks, sardines, flaxseed oil, and other fish and plant foods - are known to protect against heart disease and have a mild anti-inflammatory effect, soothing aching joints. Now researchers believe that omega-3s can help combat depression, too.

A Dutch study published in the October 2003 issue of Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids¹, shows that new mothers whose omega-3 levels are low right after giving birth, are more likely to have postpartum depression.

Omega-3 levels decrease during pregnancy but normally rebound in the first few months after delivery. Women whose omega-3 levels remained low were 10 percent more likely to suffer emotionally. This evidence suggests that giving pregnant and soon-to-be pregnant women omega-3 might help eliminate postpartum blues.

Other research shows a strong link between depression and low levels of omega-3 fatty acids. This is particularly important to women because one in five can expect to be clinically depressed at some time in their lives. Women are more than twice as likely as men to develop this condition, according to the National Mental Health Association.

In my review of the literature,² patients with depression showed significant depletions of omega-3 fatty acids. Eating fish is one way to bring up the levels, and a 2001 Finnish study showed that people who eat fish often were less likely to report symptoms of depression than those who avoided seafood.

How much omega-3 does the average person need? "More" isn't better; getting the right balance between omega-3s and omega-6s is key.

We live in an omega-6-saturated society - grain-rich and high in carbohydrates. Even the granola breakfast foods, touted for their healthfulness, are loaded with it. Too much omega-6 can pave the way for inflammation, stroke, and heart disease.

The ideal ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids is 1 to 4, according to researcher Marianne Haag, in the April 2003 issue of the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.³ But most of us are a long way from that goal. In Great Britain and Western Europe the average diet has a ratio of 1 to 15. In the United States, the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 is even worse, weighing in at about 1 to 20 or 30.

Watching what you eat

How do we reset this balance of omega fatty acids? One easy way is to put uncontaminated (i.e. mercury-free) seafood on the menu at least twice a week.

Next, avoid transunsaturated fats that block your body's ability to utilize omega-3s. These are found in stick margarine and in partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, which is often added to foods because it extends the shelf life of the product. So read all labels carefully.

You can also benefit by cutting back on foods that are high in omega-6. Eliminate corn oil, safflower oil, sunflower seeds, and even soybean oil from your shopping list.

Canola oil is a good source of omega-3 and can be used for frying or sautéing. But the kind you find in the grocery store has often been so over-refined that it has very little omega-3 left in it. Health food stores carry a cold-processed version that is 10 percent omega-3.

Olive oil, a staple of Mediterranean cooking, consists mostly of omega-9s, which are considered neutral, but it has antioxidant properties.

If you think an omega-3 supplement might help your general health, try one. Just be aware that the American Heart Association cautions people not to take more than 3 grams of omega-3 from supplements per day without a doctor's supervision. This adds up to nine of the big one-gram capsules (the normal and standard concentration in them is only 30 percent omega-3).

If you are clinically depressed, omega-3 supplements will not replace prescription drugs.Take this article and the references below to your clinician and ask him or her about using omega-3 along with your medication. Don't try to treat yourself.

Notes

1 Otto SJ, et al, 2003

2 Cott, J, 2002

3 Haag M., 2003