Omega-3 and Depression: What 25 Years of Research Tells Us
When standard treatments aren’t providing full symptom relief, could omega-3 be a missing piece of the puzzle?
Depression is associated with increased risks for:
- Anxiety and sleep disturbances
- Self-harm and/or suicidal thoughts and behaviours
- Cognitive impairments and dementia
- Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other physical health conditions
- Chronic pain and inflammation
- Social isolation and loneliness
- Educational and workplace underachievement
- Social and economic disadvantages
Even with the best current treatments - psychological
or pharmaceutical - many people don’t find full symptom relief, so additional options are still needed.
Omega-3 status is overlooked in mental healthcare
Almost 25 years ago the first case study reported resolution of longstanding treatment-resistant depression following high-dose supplementation with the long-chain omega-3 fatty acid, EPA.
The first dose-ranging controlled clinical trial then showed benefits for clinical-level depression from omega-3 EPA.
Many others have followed and while omega-3 will not help
everyone with ‘depression’ - there is now
enough evidence to support expert clinical treatment guidelines and recommendations. We also know these fats are vital for healthy brain function.
Clinical treatment guidelines, developed by international expert consensus, support the use of long chain omega-3 - particularly EPA - in the management of Major Depressive Disorder
Sign up above to get the FULL downloadable PDF of this article on Omega 3 and Depression, which covers even more on:
- What’s the Evidence that Omega-3 could help?
- Mechanisms: How Omega-3 Might Help Depression?
- What is the Evidence of Association? Is Low Omega-3 status actually linked with depressive symptoms?
- Is there Clinical Trial Evidence? Randomised Trials, Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses
- What are the Benefits beyond mental health? Looking beyond the brain to overlapping benefits for the body, especially in groups with mental health difficulties
- How much Omega-3 is recommended and safe? Explores current recommendations for depression and cardiovascular health, as well as safety references
- What are the best sources of Omega-3? Describes the riches natural sources, evidence on the conversion of plant based omega 3, and the most effective options for vegans & vegetarians
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Disclaimer
As always – we emphasise that FAB's resources are provided for educational and informational use only, based on the current available evidence at the time of creation. This does not represent a substitute for personalised health care advice - and we encourage anyone with depression or any other mental health difficulties to seek advice from their GP and/or other registered Health Care Professional.
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