Chris Pearce
07-06-2010, 10:44 AM
Interesting Read:
By Mallory Creveling (http://www.aolhealth.com/bloggers/mallory-creveling) Jul 2nd 2010 12:27PM
Categories: News (http://www.aolhealth.com/categories/news/)
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.aolhealth.com/media/2010/07/fish-oil-capsules-fight-depression-240kk.jpgFish oil may do more than improve heart health. There's compelling new evidence that it can also help heal the blues.
In the latest study on depression and fish oil, half the participants said their symptoms got better after taking supplements, according to Reuters (http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2010/07/01/eline/links/20100701elin003.html).
The other half of the 432 patients who didn't benefit from fish oil had also been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.
The University of Montreal study is the largest to date on the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on symptoms of depression.
Dr. Francois Lesperance and his colleagues tested a fish-oil capsule with a high ratio of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) to docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) -- the two main forms of omega-3 fat.
They provided 1,050 milligrams per day of the EPA and 150 milligrams per day of the DHA to the patients who were each diagnosed with at least moderate depression. About 40 percent of the participants were also taking antidepressants, Reuters reported.
The researchers randomly assigned the participants to take either the fish oil supplements or a placebo containing vegetable oil every day for eight weeks.
They also provided the patients with a questionnaire asking about the severity of their symptoms at the start of the study, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (http://www.psychiatrist.com/), and several times throughout.
The study authors said they did not find promising results between those who took the fish oil and those who took the placebo when analyzing everyone from both groups. But they did find that the symptoms of those with depression and no anxiety improved significantly, according to Reuters. Antidepressants did not affect the findings.
Those whose symptoms weren't helped by the fish oil had other anxiety-related syndromes like post traumatic stress disorder (http://www.aolhealth.com/health-concern/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-special-1), phobias, panic disorder or generalized anxiety (http://www.aolhealth.com/symptom/anxiety-symptom-1).
Scientists are unsure as to how omega-3 acids may affect depression, but some say they may be involved in the function of certain brain chemicals and their anti-inflammatory properties may help, according to Reuters.
Most research on the effects of fish oil on depression has produced conflicting results. A number of previous studies have looked at omega-3 fatty acids as a treatment on their own, while others have tested them in combination with antidepressants.
Dr. Daniel Carlat (http://www.aolhealth.com/.../meet-mental-health-expert-dr-daniel-carlat/), an AOL Medical Advisory Board member and an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine, says the latest findings are disappointing.
"This study reveals two reasons to be skeptical of fish oil for depression -- the effect is small and even this small effect only applies to a limited group of people," he said.
But despite the lack of conclusive data on fish oil as an antidepressant, it has been shown to prevent cardiac disease so the supplement may still have some benefits, he added.
Lesperance told Reuters that more studies are needed to illustrate a clear link between fish oil and treating depression. He also said the findings from his study may not apply to fish oil supplements found on the market because of the varying EPA and DHA formulas.
More on Depression:
Surprising Causes of Depression (http://www.aolhealth.com/condition-center/depression/causes-surprising)
Natural Ways to Beat the Blues (http://www.aolhealth.com/condition-center/depression/natural-remedies)
Taken from AOL.com: http://www.aolhealth.com/2010/07/02/fish-oil-may-help-with-depression/?icid=main%7Cmain%7Cdl3%7Clink4%7Chttp%253A%252F%2 52Fwww.aolhealth.com%252F2010%252F07%252F02%252Ffi sh-oil-may-help-with-depression%252F
By Mallory Creveling (http://www.aolhealth.com/bloggers/mallory-creveling) Jul 2nd 2010 12:27PM
Categories: News (http://www.aolhealth.com/categories/news/)
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.aolhealth.com/media/2010/07/fish-oil-capsules-fight-depression-240kk.jpgFish oil may do more than improve heart health. There's compelling new evidence that it can also help heal the blues.
In the latest study on depression and fish oil, half the participants said their symptoms got better after taking supplements, according to Reuters (http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2010/07/01/eline/links/20100701elin003.html).
The other half of the 432 patients who didn't benefit from fish oil had also been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.
The University of Montreal study is the largest to date on the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on symptoms of depression.
Dr. Francois Lesperance and his colleagues tested a fish-oil capsule with a high ratio of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) to docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) -- the two main forms of omega-3 fat.
They provided 1,050 milligrams per day of the EPA and 150 milligrams per day of the DHA to the patients who were each diagnosed with at least moderate depression. About 40 percent of the participants were also taking antidepressants, Reuters reported.
The researchers randomly assigned the participants to take either the fish oil supplements or a placebo containing vegetable oil every day for eight weeks.
They also provided the patients with a questionnaire asking about the severity of their symptoms at the start of the study, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (http://www.psychiatrist.com/), and several times throughout.
The study authors said they did not find promising results between those who took the fish oil and those who took the placebo when analyzing everyone from both groups. But they did find that the symptoms of those with depression and no anxiety improved significantly, according to Reuters. Antidepressants did not affect the findings.
Those whose symptoms weren't helped by the fish oil had other anxiety-related syndromes like post traumatic stress disorder (http://www.aolhealth.com/health-concern/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-special-1), phobias, panic disorder or generalized anxiety (http://www.aolhealth.com/symptom/anxiety-symptom-1).
Scientists are unsure as to how omega-3 acids may affect depression, but some say they may be involved in the function of certain brain chemicals and their anti-inflammatory properties may help, according to Reuters.
Most research on the effects of fish oil on depression has produced conflicting results. A number of previous studies have looked at omega-3 fatty acids as a treatment on their own, while others have tested them in combination with antidepressants.
Dr. Daniel Carlat (http://www.aolhealth.com/.../meet-mental-health-expert-dr-daniel-carlat/), an AOL Medical Advisory Board member and an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine, says the latest findings are disappointing.
"This study reveals two reasons to be skeptical of fish oil for depression -- the effect is small and even this small effect only applies to a limited group of people," he said.
But despite the lack of conclusive data on fish oil as an antidepressant, it has been shown to prevent cardiac disease so the supplement may still have some benefits, he added.
Lesperance told Reuters that more studies are needed to illustrate a clear link between fish oil and treating depression. He also said the findings from his study may not apply to fish oil supplements found on the market because of the varying EPA and DHA formulas.
More on Depression:
Surprising Causes of Depression (http://www.aolhealth.com/condition-center/depression/causes-surprising)
Natural Ways to Beat the Blues (http://www.aolhealth.com/condition-center/depression/natural-remedies)
Taken from AOL.com: http://www.aolhealth.com/2010/07/02/fish-oil-may-help-with-depression/?icid=main%7Cmain%7Cdl3%7Clink4%7Chttp%253A%252F%2 52Fwww.aolhealth.com%252F2010%252F07%252F02%252Ffi sh-oil-may-help-with-depression%252F