(07-09-10) Fish oil helps teenage boys fight depression

by Ethan A. Huff, staff writer

Japanese researchers have discovered yet another benefit to fish oil --
treatment for depression. According to a study out of the University of Tokyo,
teenage boys who eat a lot of oily fish have a 27 percent reduced risk of
depression compared to those who eat little oily fish.

Fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids like EPA and DHA offer numerous benefits to
both body and brain health, and the new study indicates that these oils may
also play a valuable role in preventing and treating depression.

Kentaro Murakami and his colleagues analyzed 6,500 Japanese junior high
students between the ages of 12 and 15. Nearly a quarter of boys had initial
symptoms of depression and about a third of girls had symptoms. After
considering various life factors and dietary practices, the team discovered
that the less oily fish boys ate, the more likely they were to have depression
symptoms. They did not observe the same benefit in girls.

However several other studies have indicated that fish oil plays an important
role in the mental health of both sexes, including a 1999 study in the Archives
of General Psychiatry which found that manic-depressive patients who supplement
with fish oil experience overall improvements in mental health.

"Fish oil...appears to be very good stuff for the brain and behavior, which
makes sense because omega-3 fatty acids have a critical role in brain
development and functioning, including promoting the growth of neurons in the
frontal cortex. Fish oil has been shown in a series of studies by Andrew Stoll
at Harvard to ease the symptoms of bipolar disorder and depression," explains
Charles Barber in his book Comfortably Numb: How Psychiatry Is Medicating a
Nation.

Sources for this story include:

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS...

http://www.webmd.com/depression/fea...

http://www.naturalpedia.com/fish_oi...

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