Omega-3s Could Have Mental Health Benefits Too, Research Finds

Previous research has indicated that people with major depressive disorder have higher levels of inflammation than those without. So in this new study by researchers from King's College London, The University of Manchester, and China Medical University, they wanted to see if two known anti-inflammatory omega-3s—eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)—could protect the brain from inflammation.

They treated human hippocampal cells with EPA or DHA and then exposed those cells to cytokines (which are involved with inflammation) to see how the cells would hold up after the treatment.

In the hippocampal cell portion of the study, researchers observed that EPA or DHA prevented increased cell death and decreased neurogenesis in the hippocampal cells. This, they found, was due to new lipid mediators formed in the brain.

And in the patient study, supplementing with those same omega-3s was associated with reduced depressive symptoms—an average reduction of 64% for EPA and 71% for DHA, to be exact.

The study authors note that more research is necessary to further understand their findings—and to inform approaches to treatment. They also add supplementing omega-3s would likely be necessary, in order to get the amount the participants in the study were taking.