Could More Omega-3s Boost Your Mood?

Don’t rely on supplements alone to improve your mood, although it’s always a good idea to eat food rich in omega-3 nutrients. Here’s what you should know.

Fish oil supplements are on track to become a $24 billion dollar industry by 2032, but it’s not clear that supplements make a difference in your mood.

It is clear that omega-3 fatty acid levels affect overall health. Our bodies can’t synthesize omega-3 fats, so we must get them from either supplements or food, particularly nuts, seeds, and fish. We also know that people vary in how well they can absorb and metabolize omega-3 fats.

Many people take fish oil supplements to manage their mental health. It’s true that omega-3 fatty acids may reduce inflammation, which is linked to depression. Research suggests deficiencies are associated with many mental health problems, including dementia, bipolar disorder, ADHD, schizophrenia, and autism. Omega-3 oils may also benefit your heart.

Besides dysregulating your immune-inflammatory system, lack of omega-3 fatty acids could interfere with your endocrine system governing hormones and nervous system. Your symptoms might arise from your diet or because your body doesn’t absorb these essential fats well. That’s the case for supplements.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: How Acceptance Can Help Your Depression

But there’s a catch

In an overview of 31 clinical trials analyzing the effects of omega-3 supplements, typically over six to 12 months, researchers concluded that that they had “little or no effect in preventing depression or anxiety symptoms.” The same was true for hope that the pills could help children with autism or attention deficit disorder.

While there’s very strong evidence that people suffering from depression often have low omega-3 levels, the deficiency may be a marker rather than a cause. In a six-year study, researchers tested omega-3 levels in nearly 3,000 participants and asked about their mental health.

People with signs of depression at the beginning of the study and six years later had lower omega-3 levels than people who were never depressed. But the link didn’t hold in people whose symptoms or omega-3 levels changed. For example, some volunteers had lower omega 3 levels and no increase in depression.

What you can do

You may have depression if you experience at least two weeks of the following symptoms:

• Feeling sad or having a depressed mood
• Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed
• Changes in appetite — weight loss or gain unrelated to dieting
• Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
• Loss of energy or increased fatigue
• Increase in purposeless physical activity (such as hand-wringing or pacing) or slowed movements and speech (actions others observe)
• Feeling worthless or guilty
• Difficulty thinking, concentrating, or making decisions
• Thoughts of death or suicide

Talk to your primary care doctor, a therapist, or a psychiatrist. A professional can help you decide if you need to try antidepressants, and, if you do, evidence suggests that adding fish oil supplements can help.

If you’re concerned about your mood but don’t suffer depression, try a variety of strategies, including:

• Exercising
• Spending time with friends and family
• Getting a pet
• Eating well
• Participating in your community and religion
• Relieving stress with yoga, meditation, or music

Adding omega-3 fats to your diet is a good bet for anyone’s overall health. The American Heart Association recommends eating fatty fish at least twice a week. A serving comes to 3.5-ounces cooked or about a three-quarter cup of flaked fish.

The best sources of omega-3 fats are wild and Alaskan salmon (canned is okay), lake trout, sardines, oysters, herring, and Atlantic mackerel. Next best is canned light tuna, catfish, crab, founder and sole, haddock, lobster, mullet, Pollock, wild and some farmed shrimp, tilapia, scallops, and squid.

Some fish contain high levels of mercury and other pollutants, a good reason to stay away. Those contaminants show up in bigger predatory fish and marine mammals. The ones you are most likely to see on a menu are swordfish, shark, gulf tilefish, orange roughy, and King mackerel.

If you’re a vegetarian or hate fish, focus on foods high in vegan sources of omega-3. Flax and chia seeds, walnut oil and walnuts, and hemp seed oil and beverages will help you get alpha linolenic acid (or ALA), one of the three omega-3 fatty acids. Docosahexaenoic acid (or DHA) is the kind found in fish. The fish get it from algae, so you could eat the algae or try an algae supplement.

If you have heart disease especially, check with your doctor. Fish oil may have a thinning effect on your blood and may affect the correct dose of a blood thinner. Warfarin is the most common.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Poor Sleep Blocks Depression Treatment