In the Mood to Order that Salmon?

Consuming fish oil may reduce the symptoms of manic depression.

FISH HAS long been called ‘brain food’ (Bertie Wooster believed Jeeves’ scary brain power came from consuming lots of fish). But it might also be called ‘mood food’—consuming fish oil may reduce the symptoms of manic depression.

It’s well accept­ed that fish like salm­on and mackerel are packed with the healthy omega-3 fatty acids known to reduce the risk of heart disease, can­cer, osteoporosis and arthritis. Andrew Stoll, a physician at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts, along with a team of research­ers, conducted a study to determine wheth­er patients with bipolar or manic depression would see their blues vanish after adding some amount of omega-3 to their normal course of antidepressants.

The team found that fish oils work, though they remain unsure of exactly how omega-3 fatty acids help to alleviate the highs and lows of manic depression—they suspect it does the trick by hooking on to nervous tissue. This finding may herald a new class of low-cost, natural mood-stabilising drugs. And many are known to need it.

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