“Studies have shown that omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, including
docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), might have beneficial effects on somatic and
mental health, potentially partly due to their mitigating effects on
three major biological stress systems: the immune-inflammatory system,
the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis, and the autonomic nervous
system.”
.
“….2724 participants from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety.”
.
“Participants had a mean age of 41.8 and 65.7% were female.”
.
Higher levels of all three inflammation markers, evening cortisol and
heart rate were significantly negatively associated with omega-3
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids . Suggesting an exposure-response
relationship, a higher number of markers indicative of inflammation and
hyperactive hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis, but not of autonomic
nervous system dysregulation, was found in persons with lower omega-3
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids levels.”
.
“An exposure-response
relationship was also found for having a higher number of different
stress system dysregulations with lower omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty
Acids levels. For DHA, results were in line with those for omega-3
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, although with slightly smaller effect
sizes.”
.
“Our study confirmed that having various (cumulative)
indicators of dysregulation of three biological stress systems was
significantly associated with lower omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids
and DHA plasma levels. If low omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids levels
are the cause of dysregulated stress systems, then omega-3
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids supplementation might reduce biological
stress and thereby improve somatic and mental health.”
.
C.S.Thesing, et al
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid levels and dysregulations in biological stress systems
Psychoneuroendocrinology — Volume 97 — November 2018 — page 206