Fish Oil Reduces Anxiety

A research carried out by Ohio State University reveals the highly beneficial effects of fish oil/Omega 3 supplements regarding stress and anxiety.

The study included 68 medical students, half of whom received 2.5 grams of an omega-3 supplement daily, the equivalent of about four or five servings of salmon. By giving them inflammatory markers in the blood and psychological surveys to gauge stress, anxiety and depression, researchers  found out that apart from its 'very-commonly-known' benefit of decreasing inflammation (see SDT article), fish oil did also help a lot in lowering stress levels.The lot who took supplements had got 20% reduction in anxiety levels.

Commenting on this research , Robert K. McNamara, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine said, “If you knew what I knew, you’d definitely be taking supplements, and supplementing your children and your dog,”

The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health and Ohio State’s Center for Clinical and Translational Science and was published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.The Ohio State is now carrying out further studies on people aged between 40 and 85.

NOTE:Taking as much as 3 grams per day, 2 of which are from a supplement, is generally recognized as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Reference: The Columbus Dispatch