Omega-3s Can Fight Depression and Anxiety

Omega-3s Can Fight Depression and Anxiety

Anxiety, also a common disorder, is characterized by constant worry and nervousness (3Trusted Source).

Interestingly, studies indicate that people who consume omega-3s regularly are less likely to be depressed (4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source).

What’s more, when people with depression or anxiety start taking omega-3 supplements, their symptoms improve (6, 7, 8Trusted Source).

There are three types of omega-3 fatty acids: ALA, EPA and DHA. Of the three, EPA appears to be the best at fighting depression (9Trusted Source).

One study even found EPA as effective against depression as a common antidepressant drug (10).

Omega-3s Can Improve Eye Health

DHA, a type of omega-3, is a major structural component of the retina of your eye (11Trusted Source).

When you don’t get enough DHA, vision problems may arise (12Trusted Source, 13Trusted Source).

Interestingly, getting enough omega-3 is linked to a reduced risk of macular degeneration, one of the world’s leading causes of permanent eye damage and blindness (14Trusted Source, 15Trusted Source).

Omega-3s Can Promote Brain Health During Pregnancy and Early Life

Omega-3s are crucial for brain growth and development in infants.

DHA accounts for 40% of the polyunsaturated fatty acids in your brain and 60% in the retina of your eye (12Trusted Source, 16Trusted Source).

Therefore, it’s no surprise that infants fed a DHA-fortified formula have better eyesight than infants fed a formula without it (17Trusted Source).

Getting enough omega-3s during pregnancy is associated with numerous benefits for your child, including (18Trusted Source, 19Trusted Source, 20Trusted Source):

• Higher intelligence
• Better communication and social skills
• Fewer behavioral problems
• Decreased risk of developmental delay
• Decreased risk of ADHD, autism and cerebral palsy

Omega-3s Can Improve Risk Factors for Heart Disease

Heart attacks and strokes are the world’s leading causes of death (21Trusted Source).

Decades ago, researchers observed that fish-eating communities had very low rates of these diseases. This was later linked to omega-3 consumption (22Trusted Source, 23Trusted Source).

Since then, omega-3 fatty acids have been tied to numerous benefits for heart health (24Trusted Source).

These benefits address:

• Triglycerides:
  Omega-3s can cause a major reduction in triglycerides, usually in the range of 15–30%
  (25Trusted Source, 26Trusted Source, 27Trusted Source).
• Blood pressure:
  Omega-3s can reduce blood pressure levels in people with high blood pressure (25Trusted Source,
  28Trusted Source).
• “Good” HDL cholesterol:
  Omega-3s can raise “good” HDL cholesterol levels (29Trusted Source,
  30Trusted Source,
  31Trusted Source).
• Blood clots: Omega-3s can keep blood
  platelets from clumping together. This helps prevent the formation of harmful
  blood clots (32Trusted Source, 33Trusted Source).
• Plaque: By keeping your arteries
  smooth and free from damage, omega-3s help prevent the plaque that can restrict
  and harden your arteries (34Trusted Source, 35Trusted Source).
• Inflammation:
  Omega-3s reduce the production of some substances released during your body’s
  inflammatory response (36Trusted Source, 37Trusted Source,
  38Trusted Source).

For some people, omega-3s can also lower “bad” LDL cholesterol. However, evidence is mixed — some studies find increases in LDL (39Trusted Source, 40Trusted Source).

Despite these beneficial effects on heart disease risk factors, there is no convincing evidence that omega-3 supplements can prevent heart attacks or strokes. Many studies find no benefit (41Trusted Source, 42Trusted Source).

Omega-3s Can Reduce Symptoms of Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a collection of conditions.

It includes central obesity — also known as belly fat — as well as high blood pressure, insulin resistance, high triglycerides and low “good” HDL cholesterol levels.

It is a major public health concern because it increases your risk of many other illnesses, including heart disease and diabetes (51Trusted Source).

Omega-3 fatty acids can improve insulin resistance, inflammation and heart disease risk factors in people with metabolic syndrome (52Trusted Source, 53Trusted Source, 54Trusted Source).

Omega-3s Can Fight Inflammation

Inflammation is a natural response to infections and damage in your body. Therefore, it is vital for your health.

However, inflammation sometimes persists for a long time, even without an infection or injury. This is called chronic — or long-term — inflammation.

Long-term inflammation can contribute to almost every chronic Western illness, including heart disease and cancer (55Trusted Source, 56Trusted Source, 57Trusted Source).

Notably, omega-3 fatty acids can reduce the production of molecules and substances linked to inflammation, such as inflammatory eicosanoids and cytokines (58Trusted Source, 59Trusted Source).

Studies have consistently observed a connection between higher omega-3 intake and reduced inflammation (8Trusted Source, 60Trusted Source, 61Trusted Source).

Omega-3s Can Fight Autoimmune Diseases

In autoimmune diseases, your immune system mistakes healthy cells for foreign cells and starts attacking them.

Type 1 diabetes is one prime example, in which your immune system attacks the insulin-producing cells in your pancreas.

Omega-3s can combat some of these diseases and may be especially important during early life.

Studies show that getting enough omega-3s during your first year of life is linked to a reduced risk of many autoimmune diseases, including type 1 diabetes, autoimmune diabetes and multiple sclerosis (62Trusted Source, 63Trusted Source, 64Trusted Source).

Omega-3s also help treat lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease and psoriasis (65Trusted Source, 66Trusted Source, 67Trusted Source, 68Trusted Source).