Can Omega-3 Capsules Reduce Anxiety?

According to a study reported in Brain, Behavior and Immunity, omega-2 capsules may have the ability to reduce anxiety in people without an anxiety disorder diagnosis.  This was the finding from a study conducted by researchers at the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research at Ohio State University.

Previous studies have shown that low omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) levels and high omega-6 PUFA levels in the body are linked with inflammation and depression.  And both depression and anxiety have been shown to increase the production of inflammatory cytokines, like interleukin-6 (IL-6), in the body.  So it was of interest to study the possible role of omega-3 supplementation in preventing anxiety.

The participants were 68 first- and second-year medical students (56% male, average age 24).  They were randomly assigned to take omega-3 capsules (2,085 mg eicosapentaenoic acid plus 348 mg docosahexaenoic acid) or fish-flavored placebo, three times a day for 12 weeks.  They were interviewed 6 times, with serial blood sampling, during the study; standard depression and anxiety tests were given at all visits. 

Compared to the controls, those students taking the omega-3 capsules showed a 14% decrease in IL-6 production and a 20% reduction in anxiety symptoms, without a significant change in depressive symptoms.  What’s impressive is that the students didn’t have an anxiety syndrome diagnosis, i.e. they were relatively non-stressed.  The blood sampling results suggest this anxiolytic effect of omega-3 occurs, at least in part, through an action on the immune system.

It must be pointed out that the omega-3 dosage in this study was about 4-5 times the amount one would get from a daily serving of salmon.  However, it’s still better to get your omega-3 in your diet than by buying expensive omega-3 capsules . . .