SubscribeDoes a Western Diet Low In Omega-3s Promote Depression?
Photo courtesy of Bard of the Lake
I found this article a couple days ago: Omega-6 fatty acids found to be dietary cause of depression, heart disease
Six of the participants were found to meet the criteria for major depression. These six participants had a significantly higher ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids than the participants who were not depressed, an average of 18:1 compared with 13:1. Among those who were depressed, a higher omega-6-to-omega-3 ratio was found to correlate with the level of depressive symptoms.
One of the major differences between the Western Diet and a traditional whole foods-based, hunter-gatherer diet is the out-of-whack (technical term) omega-6:omega-3 ratio. Estimates of the Paleolithic ratio range from 4:1 to 1:1. A common ratio for most of us in developed countries is more along the lines of 12:1, 15:1, 20:1 or worse.
So what is it about the Western Diet that’s causing such a huge increase in the intake of omega-6 fatty acids, or conversely a huge decrease in intake of omega-3 fatty acids? There are several key factors. The major one is our reliance on processed foods and vegetable oils. As discussed in the post on a study showing omega-3s protect against Parkinson’s, most of the common oils used in our society are those “heart healthy” polyunsaturates. As you can see from this graph, almost all of them are absurdly high in omega-6s compared to omega-3s. Corn sits at 57:1; soy around 7:1, peanut at more than 33:1. Only canola and olive oil are respectable, at 2:1 and 9:1, respectively, and the olive oil is only acceptable because it has very little polyunsaturated fat total. Of course, we have to avoid those saturated fats because they’ll kill you, though they all contain little in the way of omega-6 fatty acids.
The second factor is grains. Grains are high in the same omega-6 fatty acids and, as a nation, we eat oodles of them. Even worse, most of our grain intake is of the highly processed variety in those brightly-colored boxes with Spongebob Squarepants smiling back at you. These products usually include oils like soy (or worse hydrogenated soy or corn). It’s basically a sugar and omega-6 bomb.
The final factor is a relative lack of fish intake, along with grain-fed CAFO meats. Few people eat fish and when they do, it’s rarely the more expensive wild-caught fish. Few people eat grass-fed meats. Both farm-raised fish and most store-bought meats are fed lots of grains. These same grains that skew our own fatty acid profiles also skew those of the animals we end up eating.
So how does one make sure they are getting enough omega-3 to balance their omega-6 intake? First, cut back on the omega-6s. That means opting for coconut oil, palm oil, lard, tallow, and olive oil rather than corn, soy, or peanut oils. Second, get rid of as many grains as you can from your diet. You can get rid of them all, but some people are resistant to that, so just do away with the worst offenders. Eat more fruits and vegetables in place of the overabundance of grains.
Third, eat properly-raised meats and seafood as your budget permits. Sardines and canned salmon are good sources of the long-chain omega-3s EPA and DHA. Finally, if you can’t/won’t spend the money on grass-fed meats and wild seafood, you can supplement with fish oil and cod liver oil. Remember that, for all the hype, flaxseeds are still a poor source of omega-3s.
I wonder if it’s related to the inflammation that omega-6s cause. Regardless, it looks like another benefit of eating a traditional diet of fruits and vegetables, real saturated fats, and plenty of properly-raised meats and fish is that you won’t end up on Prozac.
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Filed in Know Your Fats 11 Comments so far
Anna on 23 Mar 2008 at 10:35 am #
Great post, Scott. This finding doesn’t surprise me, either. A number of people I know, including family members, experienced depression after getting a “diagnosis” of high cholesterol and starting a low saturated fat, high carb diet. The ones most compliant and adherent to the prescribed diet were the ones who became most depressed. How ironic that being highly motivated to stick to a horrible diet actually contributes to depression. I always assumed the statin they were inevitably taking was the major contributing factor, but it makes a lot of sense that a skewed omega balance would contribute, too.
Lord Nibbler on 23 Mar 2008 at 12:43 pm #
On a slightly related note, since the 1960s or so, people with MS have been advised to take large amounts of GLA oils, in the form of Evening Primrose.
However, this is an omega 6 oil - surely this is counter to the whole principle of MS being an auto immune/inflammatory disease?
I have given up on this oil and stick to fish oil and flax seed oil, which goes just fine with my metabolic syndrome.
It would seem that many conditions are related to high omega/high carb diets.
Huckleberry on 23 Mar 2008 at 4:13 pm #
I also wouldn’t be surprised if this is true, but it’s also important to note that this study found a correlation rather than a cause. The accompanying article was titled “Omega-6 fatty acids found to be dietary cause of depression, heart disease” which is a little misleading if no actual cause was established. Still, all those oils like corn and cottonseed are simply awful. I’m not going to use them, depression or no depression.
I do think that nutrition, healthy food, and the care associated with healthy food are all significant contributors to emotional and mental wellness.
Anyway, interesting stuff. I’d love to see more about it, if there’s any further research.
Food Is Love
chainey on 24 Mar 2008 at 9:09 am #
Great post. I’ve added it to my link collection here. Consider yourself immortalized.
Scott Kustes on 24 Mar 2008 at 12:39 pm #
Nibbler, I think you’re right that a host of issues come down to omega balance, which is itself a symptom of a poor diet.
A very good point Huckleberry. All studies can ever really prove is correlation, not causation. But as you said, given the importance of EPA and DHA in proper brain development, it seems to be a fitting correlation. I actually think there are other factors involved in the high rates of depression in our society. For one, we’re constantly bombarded with images that we’re inferior…not rich enough, not pretty enough. Second, the media and government make sure we’re always scared of some big threat, whether it’s Muslims, immigrants, or bird flu. Third, most of us work in unfulfilling jobs, racing up a career ladder that we’ve been told is what we should do, chasing money to buy things we don’t need that can’t give us any satisfaction. Another factor is probably the loss of community and human contact that we see throughout society.
Aww thanks Chainey!
Cheers
Scott
CalicoKitty on 24 Mar 2008 at 1:49 pm #
Preachin’ to the choir here - I first found out about the relationship between mood and food when I discovered the work of Marrena Linberg on Dr. Laura Berman’s sexual health boards. After following her advice (cutting out grains, sugars, trans fats and supplementing with high-quality Omega-3 fish oil, my mood, and my libido changed dramatically for the better. I’ve kept on plan for over a year and a half now, and I’m never going back!
Anna on 24 Mar 2008 at 2:31 pm #
Julia Ross, author of The Mood Cure and The Diet Cure books, also brings up similar points about connections between diet and mood/mental well-being. She advocates cutting out the bad stuff and getting enough of the good stuff, too. She also talks about “false moods” which come often come about due to poor diet habits (more common), as opposed to physiological mental illness (more severe brain abnormalities). A good diet can reduce or eliminate a lot of the “false moods” that plague many people, whether they realize it or not. I can’t help but wonder if some of the many people on anti-depressants for mild depression wouldn’t be better off just adjusting their diets, especially in light of the news that anti-depressants might often be no better than placebos.
Once I realized that my blood sugar would “roller coaster” when I ate high carb foods, I was also able to recognize the mood swings that went with the extreme highs and lows. I had never thought of myself as having roller coaster moods but now it is so unmistakable to me. Another reason to keep my BG nice and steady.
Migraineur on 24 Mar 2008 at 6:15 pm #
I got off Prozac 5 years ago after about a year on LC. I have never gone back. I am sometimes tempted, in the dead of winter, but usually a little cod liver oil (for the vitamin D) straightens me out in just a couple of days.
mia on 13 Apr 2008 at 3:51 pm #
I read about the Omega-3/depression connection a few years ago in a book by David Servan-Schreiber: “The Instinct to Heal: Curing Depression, Anxiety and Stress Without Drugs and Without Talk Therapy” (which I can only recommend by the way).
There weren’t a lot of studies made when the book came out but Servan-Schreiber describes one study that constisted of two groups of depressed probandants, one group got fishoil capsules, the other one placebos. The results of the fishoil-group were so significant (less/lifted depression, weight loss) that the study was aborted after four months since the doctors didn’t want to withhold the benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids from the rest of the patients.
My personal experience is with a childhood friend who’s been on strong antidepressants for a few years and they didn’t really work anymore. So I put a little note into the chapter about Omega-3 and gave him the book. I got it back about a year later, not from him personally, but from his mother with a big thank you, saying how much better he was doing since taking fishoil capsules everyday. And apparently the whole family is taking them now.
Scott Kustes on 15 Apr 2008 at 8:18 am #
Hey Mia,
That’s quite interesting. A quick PubMed search of “fish oil depression” yields several pages of results. It seems that our overabundance of omega-6s is causing all kinds of problems. While I think we have too low of an intake of omega-3s in our society, the bigger problem is the overabundance of omega-6s from vegetable oils and grains. Just a quick click on my omega-3 tag shows how many studies I’ve posted over the last couple years with titles like “Omega-3s help with dementia,” “omega-3s against Parkinson’s,” etc.
Anyway, I put that book on my list.
Cheers
Scott
Robert Hamilton on 03 Aug 2008 at 2:25 am #
You should have a 5 to 1 ratio omega 6 to omega 3 for a balance in brain function, central nervous system, joints and skin, as well as hormone balancing. If you only stick with fish or flaxseed oils you will be robbing your body of what it needs to stay healthy. GLA is essential.