Omega-3 fatty acids and the treatment of depression: a review of scientific evidence

Abstract

Depression is a condition in which an individual feels lethargic, irritable, and guilty, has difficulty and trouble, no enjoyment in life, mood swings, sometimes suicidal ideation and thoughts, and loss of pleasure in activities. There are hundreds of millions of individuals suffering from major depression disorder all over the world. This leads to a considerable portion of the economy going for treatment as large amounts of money are spent on drugs every year. Pharmaceutical drugs are not very effective and they also have side effects that compound the problem. There are number of studies which shows that omega-3 fatty acids are proving to be very effective against the treatment of major depression disorder and other psychiatric disorders. However, the data regarding the efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids in depression treatment are conflicted. This article reviews the recent research showing the relation between omega-3 fatty acids and depression. The roles of the omega-3 fatty acids in the treatment of depression are being studied with increased pace in the last decade due to heightened prevalence of depression. It is emphasized that omega-3 fatty acids have no record of associated side effects, which deserves greater attention for further research.

Change in fatty acid composition and evaluation of lipids and protein oxidation in the commercial cooked clams (<em>Ruditapes decussatus</em>)

“…Nowadays, the importance of diet supplementation with polyunsaturated (PUFA) omega-3 fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic (EPA; 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic (DHA; 22:6n-3) by consuming seafood like fish, mollusks, and crustaceans is widely recognized (Neff et al, 2014;Costa et al, 2015a). Hence, foods with an appropriate content of these fatty acids contribute to the prevention and treatment of several diseases such as cardiovascular disease or depression (Pao-Yen et al, 2012;Ab Latif et al, 2015) and the maintenance of good health (El Reffaei et al, 2014). Within seafood, bivalves provide a great proportion of omega-3-fatty acids, protein content, vitamin B12, essential elements and a low amount of saturated fatty acids (Ghribi et al, 2017).…”

Do infants of breast-feeding mothers benefit from additional long-chain PUFA from fish oil? A 6-year follow-up

“…type I statistical errors), which is possible. Negative effects on behaviour are in contrast to both animal trials and trials of mental health and behaviour in adult populations (40,41) . This finding requires replication in future large studies before conclusions can be drawn.…”

The Effects of Grass-Based versus Grain-Based Feeding of Ruminants on the Human Hygienic Status, a Review.

“…High levels of omega-3 long-chain PUFA (n-3 LC-PUFA) in the diet plays a major role in preventing several diseases, including diabetes, atherosclerosis, and arthritis (Widmann et al, 2011), through inhibition of platelet aggregation, microbial growth (Desbois and Lawlor, 2013), and prevention of the blood clot formation (Phang et al, 2013). Interestingly, a lower incidence of depression, age-related memory loss, and developing Alzheimer's is linked to higher consumption of n-3 LC-PUFA (Wani et al, 2015).…”